CMR-^yp^RICA. 


"mELii 


i.  Pattotm 


NOVIHM?   i 


BV  3500  .P48  1917 
Patton,  Cornelius  Howard, 

1860-1939. 
The  lure  of  Africa 


EDITED   UNDER  THE   DIRECTION  OF   THE 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT 

OF   THE   UNITED   STATES  AND  CANADA 


THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 


CORRESPONDENCE   CONCERNING 
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ZULU  WARRIOR 


fa  |i  I'll 

THE 
LURE  OF  AFRICA 


^' 

% 

(      NOV  I 

■^  1917 

^^^ 

^ 

BY 

y 

CORNELIUS  H 

.  PATTON 

SECRETARY,   HOME   DEPARTMENT, 
AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


NEW  YORK 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT 

OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 

1917 


COPYRIGHT,   19 1 7,  BY 
MISSIONARY    EDUCATION    MOVEMENT 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


TO  MY  WIFE  AND  DAUGHTERS 

WHO  REMAINED  BEHIND 
DURING  MY  AFRICAN  WANDERINGS 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

A  Personal  Word xi 

I    The  Lure  of  Africa i 

II    Strongholds  of  Mohammedanism 31 

III  Mohammedanism  on  the  March 57 

IV  Strongholds  of  Christianity 85 

;  V    Africa's  Debit  and  Credit  Account  with  Civilization  109 

VI    The  Heart  of  Paganism 137 

VII    Africa  the  Laboratory  of  Christianity 165 

Bibliography 194 

Index 199 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGB 

Zulu  Warrior Frontispiece 

Victoria  Falls — Over  a  Mile  of  Falling  Water.     View  from  the 

West  End  of  the  Gorge 8 

In  the  Desert  of  Sahara 24 

Athletics  at  Assiut  College,  Egypt 48 

The  United  Presbyterian  Mission  Field  in  Egjrpt  (Map) 48 

Algerian  Boys ^ 56 

Swahili  Ivory  Carriers.    This  Tribe  is  Becoming  Mohammedan    64 

A  Mohammedan  Prayer  Service  in  the  Desert 68 

Proposed  Lines  of  Mission  Stations  to  Prevent  the  Mohamme- 
dan Advance  (Map) 78 

Mission  Station,  Doleib  Hill,  Egyptian  Sudan 80 

Zones  of  Mohammedan  and  Christian  Advance  (Map) 86 

Zulu  Chief  and  Headmen 88 

A  Smeller-out  Woman 88 

Natives  on  the  Way  to  Execution  for  Cannibalism 120 

Carrying  Rum  into  Africa 120 

Johannesburg,  the  Hub  of  South  Africa  (Map) 126 

A  Johannesburg  Gold  Mine.     Mountains  of  Tailings 128 

Natives  in  Mining  Compounds.   A  Good  Chance  for  Missions.    128 

Kikuyu  Women,  British  East  Africa 137 

A  Witch-doctor  Treating  an  Old  Chief.     Pouring  Quarts  of 

Medicine  Down  His  Throat 144 

Raw  Material  on  the  Congo 152 

A  Heathen  Native's  Home 176 

A  Christian  Native's  Home 176 

A  Missionary  Making  Bricks,  Healing  the  Sick,  and  Preaching 

the  Gospel,  All  on  the  Same  Day 184 

Map End 

ix 


A  PERSONAL  WORD 

When  I  returned  a  few  years  ago  from  a  rather 
extended  trip  in  Africa,  several  friends  remarked,  "Of 
course,  you  will  write  a  book  on  the  subject."  "That," 
I  took  pains  to  assure  them,  "is  exactly  what  I  shall 
not  do."  I  had  no  desire  to  add  to  the  large  number 
of  books  of  African  travel  on  the  strength  of  a  single 
trip  in  that  continent.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  earnest 
sohcitation  of  the  Missionary  Education  Movement, 
I  should  have  adhered  to  my  resolution.  The  fact  that 
a  work  was  desired  covering  the  entire  continent 
appealed  to  me,  as  in  my  observations  and  reading  I 
had  come  to  think  of  Africa  as  a  whole,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  admit  that  there  are  few  books  covering 
so  wide  a  range,  which  are  also  brought  up  to  date. 
Another  consideration  was  the  unusual  chance  to 
interest  the  young  people  of  our  churches  in  the  study 
of  the  missionary  enterprise.  Africa  appeared  to  me 
to  offer  a  unique  opportunity  in  that  direction.  The 
compelling  thought,  however,  was  this.  On  my  travels 
I  discovered  that  many  of  the  missionaries  in  Africa 
are  discouraged  over  the  attitude  of  the  home  churches 
toward  their  beloved  continent.  In  the  very  day  of 
their  greatest  successes,  when  the  work  of  decades 
is  coming  to  a  large  fruitage,  they  detect,  or  think  they 
do,  a  waning  interest  at  home.  Some  say  it  is  the 
result  of  race  prejudice,  which  appears  to  them  to  be 


xii  A  PERSONAL  WORD 

gaining  ground  in  the  United  States.  More  attribute 
it  to  the  fact  that  Africa  has  been  cast  somewhat  into 
the  shade  in  missionary  interest  by  China  and  other 
countries  which  have  come  to  the  front  in  recent  years. 
In  either  case  they  are  convinced  that,  both  in  the 
matter  of  support  of  the  work  and  in  the  obtaining 
of  recruits,  Africa  is  not  getting  her  dues.  This 
gloomy  outlook  has  affected  some  of  the  missionaries 
to  the  extent  that  they  begin  to  doubt  if  Africa  really 
possesses  the  attractions  which  appeal  to  the  home 
constituency. 

The  depression  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries  was 
so  apparent  that  I  came  home  resolved  to  cheer  them 
up  in  every  way  in  my  power.  I  undertook  to 
demonstrate  that  Africa  not  only  is  not  lacking  in  fea- 
tures which  interest  the  Christian  public,  but  that  it 
is  peculiarly  the  field  which  lends  itself  to  romantic 
description  and  appeal.  I  have  always  held  that,  next 
to  highly  cultivated  beings  like  poets  and  inventors, 
the  most  interesting  thing  in  the  world  is  primitive 
man.  And  surely  Africa  is  not  lacking  in  material 
of  this  kind.  As  for  the  attitude  of  student  volunteers, 
that  is  largely  a  matter  of  education.  With  their  hearts 
inclined  toward  the  foreign  work,  if  we  give  them  the 
facts,  interest  will  follow  as  a  matter  of  course.  This 
at  least  has  been  my  theory  in  the  more  than  200 
addresses  I  have  been  enabled  to  give  on  Africa  and 
its  needs.  If  this  book  helps  in  any  wise  to  turn  the 
tide  of  interest  toward  this  neglected  continent,  I  shall 
be  amply  repaid. 


A  PERSONAL  WORD  xiii 

The  time  for  writing  has  been  short,  and  the  more 
have  I  appreciated  the  help  of  many  friends.  I  would 
especially  mention  the  Rev.  Frederick  B.  Bridgman, 
D.  D.,  of  Johannesburg,  who  was  my  traveling  com- 
panion in  several  parts  of  Natal  and  throughout  my 
Angola  trip,  and  whose  knowledge  of  native  affairs, 
as  they  relate  to  governmental  and  economic  con- 
ditions, is  not  surpassed.  I  particularly  appreciate 
the  coming  to  Boston  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  of  the 
American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  enlightening  me  upon  conditions 
on  the  Congo,  a  region  of  which  I  have  no  personal 
knowledge.  Professor  Williston  Walker,  of  Yale, 
put  me  on  the  right  track  as  to  certain  historical  ques- 
tions in  North  Africa,  and  Professor  Harlan  P.  Beach, 
of  the  same  institution,  who  shares  in  my  enthusiasm 
for  Africa,  was  helpful  in  many  ways,  especially  in 
preserving  a  proper  balance  in  the  treatment  of  the 
various  missions.  The  secretaries  of  mission  boards 
having  work  in  Africa  made  my  interests  their  own 
and  have  placed  much  valuable  material  in  my  hands. 
In  the  matter  of  books,  I  have  had  abundant  reason 
to  appreciate  the  facilities  of  the  Missionary  Research 
Library  in  New  York  City,  of  which  Mr.  Charles  H. 
Fahs  is  the  librarian.  Mr.  Fahs  not  only  placed  at 
my  disposal  this  collection,  which  is  rich  in  works  on 
Africa,  but  interested  himself  in  running  down  sev- 
eral obscure  questions  which  I  was  endeavoring  to 
solve.  It  has  given  me  a  particularly  comfortable  feel- 
ing that  these  pages,  before  publication,  have  passed 


xiv  A  PERSONAL  WORD 

under  the  critical  eye  of  my  colleague,  Dr.  William  E. 
Strong,  whose  suggestions  were  incorporated  almost 
without  change.  I  must  say,  also,  how  much  I  have 
enjoyed  the  cooperation  of  the  editorial  committee  of 
the  Missionary  Education  Movement.  Their  criticisms 
have  been  discriminating  and  helpful  in  many  ways, 
particularly  in  maintaining  the  pedagogical  point  of 
view. 

Finally,  let  me  disavow  for  the  book  any  claim  to 
erudition  or  completeness.  All  I  would  urge  is  that  it 
has  been  written  out  of  a  real  love  for  Africa  and  with 
the  single  aim  of  advancing  the  Kingdom  in  that 
continent.  C.  H.  P. 

Boston,  Massachusetts, 

March  i,  191 7 


THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 


THE   LURE   OF  AFRICA 

A  company  of  young  people  was  recently  asked 
to  vote  upon  the  question,  "In  which  continent  would 
you  prefer  to  travel,  should  you  be  given  the  oppor- 
tunity of  making  just  one  journey  into  the  mission 
field?"  The  alluring  features  of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa, 
and  North  and  South  America  were  spread  before 
them  and  they  were  requested  to  state  their  prefer- 
ences. Not  one  favored  Africa.  This  is  not  wholly 
surprising,  in  view  of  the  special  attention  which  has 
been  paid  to  the  other  continents  in  recent  missionary 
literature,  and  when  we  consider  how  many  interests 
other  than  missionary  enter  into  our  thought  of  Asia 
and  Europe,  not  to  mention  nearer  sections  of  the 
world.  I  hope  to  demonstrate  that  Africa  is  second 
to  no  continent  in  those  features  which  interest  the 
traveler  and  student  and  that,  when  it  comes  to  mis- 
sionary affairs,  Africa's  claims  are  unique.  Let  me 
begin  by  taking  five  typical  scenes. 

The  Streets  of  Cairo 

World  travelers  never  forget  their  first  view  of 
oriental  life.  When  they  land  at  their  first  port  and 
the  blaze  of  the  Eastern  color  and  strange  custom 
bursts  upon  them,  they  know  it  is  an  epoch  in  their 


2  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

lives.  Such  letters  as  they  write  home!  Some- 
times it  is  Smyrna,  sometimes  Constantinople,  some- 
times Bombay,  or  Yokohama;  but  the  effect  is  al- 
ways entrancing;  the  impression  never  wears  off. 
When  the  directors  of  the  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Chicago  were  looking  over  the  world  for  a  bit  of 
oriental  life  which  could  not  fail  to  interest  and  charm, 
they  chose  the  streets  of  Cairo,  and  the  majority  of 
travelers  will  agree  that  the  choice  was  a  wise  one, 
whatever  they  may  have  thought  of  the  merits  of  the 
reproduction.  The  streets  of  Cairo — who  will  attempt 
their  description!  Your  traveler  friend  characteristi- 
cally stops  at  Shepheard's  Hotel  (where,  according  to 
Richard  Harding  Davis,  is  to  be  found  one  of  the 
sights  of  the  world),  and  five  or  six  pages  of  the  first 
letter  are  taken  up  with  picturing  the  strange  people 
who  pass  the  doors  of  the  famous  hostelry — Egyp- 
tians, Copts,  Turks,  Syrians,  Nubians,  negroes  from  the 
Sudan,  Bedouins, — an  unending  pageant  of  oriental 
life.  But  this  is  merely  the  portal  to  the  city.  It  Is 
when  your  friend  enters  old  Cairo  and  penetrates  the 
maze  of  streets  and  passageways  of  the  bazaars,  that 
his  rhetoric  breaks  down  and  you  are  told  to  come  over 
and  see  for  yourself. 

Stanley  Lane-Poole  speaks  of  Cairo  as  "The  City 
of  the  Arabian  Nights,"  and  he  recalls  the  dreams  of 
our  childhood  days  by  such  passages  as  this :  "Every 
step  in  the  old  quarters  of  the  Mohammedan  city  tells  a 
story  of  the  famous  past.  The  stout  remnant  of  a 
fortified  wall,  a  dilapidated  mosque,  a  carved  door, 


THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA  3 

a  Kufic  text, — each  has  its  history,  which  carries  us 
back  to  the  days  when  Saladin  went  forth  from  the 
gates  of  Cairo  to  meet  Richard  in  the  plains  of  Acre, 
or  when  Bibars  rode  at  the  head  of  his  Mamekikes  in 
the  charge  which  trampled  upon  the  crusaders  of  St. 
Louis."  1 

Cairo,  with  its  cosmopolitan  population  of  650,000, 
is  Africa's  great  city.  But  its  interest  for  us  lies  more 
in  the  fact  that  it  is  the  intellectual  center  of  the  Mo- 
hammedan world.  Its  multitudinous  mosques,  if  not 
architecturally  impressive,  appeal  to  us  as  the  power- 
house of  the  religion  which  disputes  the  world  with 
Christianity.  Cairo  is  a  point  of  departure  for  the 
great  pagan  areas  of  central  Africa;  a  hundred  million 
primitive  blacks  seem  to  beckon  to  you  when  you  as- 
cend her  towers.  Cairo  also  is  the  vestibule  to  the 
wonders  of  ancient  Egypt.  A  writer  has  said,  "Three 
things  never  fail  to  satisfy  the  tourist.  They  are  the 
Sphinx  of  Egypt,  the  Taj  Mahal  of  India,  and  the 
Great  Wall  of  China."  Note  that  he  places  the  Sphinx 
first;  and  well  he  may.  From  the  ramparts  of  the 
citadel  of  Cairo  you  can  see  not  only  the  countless 
houses  and  mosques  of  the  city,  but  the  broad  stream 
of  the  Nile,  and  far  off  on  the  verge  of  the  Libyan 
plateau  rise  the  Great  Pyramid  and  the  gray  forms 
of  those  other  monuments  of  an  antiquity  so  remote 
that  they  were  hoary  with  age  when  Abraham  jour- 
neyed to  Egypt  from  Canaan. 

^Stanley  Lane-Poole,  Cairo:   Sketches  of  its  History,  Monu- 
ments, and  Social  Life,  p.  vii. 


4  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

Perhaps  the  young  people  who  voted  against  Africa 
forgot  about  Cairo  and  Egypt. 

Mombasa 
Now  let  us  drop  the  curtain  on  that  famous  scene 
and  take  a  look  at  something  more  suggestive  of 
Africa  to-day.  Mombasa  will  serve  our  purpose  ex- 
cellently. It  means  a  trip  down  the  east  coast,  which 
is  so  full  of  strange  sights,  as  we  poke  our  way  into 
port  after  port,  that  a  selection  is  somewhat  difficult. 
The  joys  of  the  east  coast  have  yet  to  be  adequately 
portrayed,  although  Milton  seems  to  have  had  them 
in  mind  when  he  wrote: 

As,  when  to  them  who  sail 
Beyond  the  Cape  of  Hope,  and  now  are  past 
Mozambic,  off  at  sea  northeast  winds  blow 
Sabean  odors  from  the  spicy  shore 
Of  Araby  the  blest.' 

Milton  also  mentions  Mombasa  by  name,  in  the  pas- 
sage in  "Paradise  Lost,"  where  the  Mount  of  Temp- 
tation is  contrasted  with  the  hill  up  which  Michael 
leads  Adam  to  show  him  in  vision  how  widely  his 
descendants  will  be  scattered.*  To  the  Puritan  poet  it 
was  one  of  the  remotest  points  of  geography,  a  sort 
of  Ultima  Thule  of  his  day;  and  it  is  a  commentary 
upon  the  newness  and  yet  oldness  of  Africa  that  even 
to  us  Mombasa  seems  one  of  the  most  distant  spots 
on  the  globe. 

From  Cairo  you  journey  by  rail  to  Port  Said,  which 

1  "Paradise  Lost,"  Book  IV,  11.  159-163. 
2/Wd.,  Book  XI,  1.399. 


THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA  5 

has  been  called  the  most  religious  city  in  the  world, 
because  so  many  travelers  leave  their  religion  there 
on  their  way  to  the  East.  Taking  a  steamer,  you  pass 
through  the  Suez  Canal  and  on  down  the  coast  of 
British,  German,  and  Portuguese  Africa.  The  im- 
mense size  of  the  continent  is  suggested  by  the  fact 
that  you  are  four  days  passing  through  the  Red  Sea. 
Mombasa  is  located  on  an  island  at  the  mouth  of 
a  river  in  British  East  Africa.  A  traveler  has  com- 
pared it  with  Stevenson's  ''Treasure  Island"  because  of 
the  romantic  charm  of  the  tropical  scenery.  As  the 
steamer  winds  its  way  up  the  channel,  palms  wave  a 
welcome  from  the  shore,  while  here  and  there  the 
sepulchral  baobab  stands  out  against  the  cloudless  sky. 
All  Africa  is  upon  you  the  moment  you  land.  The 
Somali  and  Swahili  of  the  coast,  the  warlike  Masai 
of  the  uplands,  and  the  virile  Baganda  of  the  lake  coun- 
try all  have  their  representatives  at  the  dock.  You 
can  imagine  a  hundred  other  tribes  from  these.  There 
is  an  old  Portuguese  fort  on  the  harbor  front  which 
takes  you  back  to  buccaneer  days.  It  was  built  in  1594. 
When  you  look  up  the  history  of  the  place,  you  find 
the  city  has  changed  hands  thirteen  times.  Once  the 
imam  of  Oman  invested  the  fortress  for  five  years. 
Once  it  was  held  by  the  Turks.  Several  times  it  had 
an  independent  government.  Since  1887  it  has  en- 
joyed peace  and  prosperity  under  the  British  flag.  In 
the  streets  of  Mombasa  you  see  camels  ignominiously 
hitched  to  carts  and  driven  about  like  ponies!  The 
railroad  to  Uganda  and  the  big  game  country  starts 


6  THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA 

from  here  and  Englishmen  are  much  in  evidence.  A 
fine  cathedral,  in  memory  of  Hannington,  the  martyr 
bishop,  attests  that  some  good  missionary  work  has 
been  done.  Altogether,  Mombasa  is  the  typical  city  of 
the  east  coast.  The  importance  of  this  port  will  be 
enhanced  if  ever  the  Cape-to-Cairo  railroad  is  brought 
to  completion,  so  that  the  products  of  the  undeveloped 
sections  of  central  Africa  may  be  brought  to  the  coast. 
German  East  Africa  is  now  the  only  missing  link  in  the 
great  system  which  Great  Britain  is  endeavoring  to  put 
through  "all  red." 

Victoria  Falls 

We  choose  one  of  the  sublime  spectacles  of  the 
world  for  our  next  scene.  Imagine  you  are  on  the 
upper  Zambezi,  floating  down  in  a  native  canoe,  just 
as  Livingstone  did  when  he  discovered  the  great  cata- 
ract in  1855.  The  tawny  stream  sweeps  through  the 
tropical  forest  silent  and  solemn,  offering  not  a  hint 
of  the  mighty  leap  into  the  chasm  below.  Islands 
abound  in  mid-stream,  full  of  strange  bird  life.  Vines 
and  parasitic  creepers,  like  tangled  cordage,  trail  from 
the  overhanging  trees.  Troops  of  monkeys  gallop  over 
the  tree-tops  in  an  incredible  way.  Bands  of  giraffes, 
the  most  picturesque  of  quadrupeds,  and  Africa's  ex- 
clusive possession,  gaze  timidly  at  you  where  the  river 
jungle  gives  way  to  glades  of  a  thinner  forest  growth. 
Suddenly  there  is  a  disturbance  in  the  water  ahead;  a 
rounded  rock  appears  to  rise  from  the  surface.  The 
canoemen  shake  their  paddles  in  excitement  and  send 


THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA  7 

up  a  mighty  shout,  "Hippo,  Hippo!"  There  he  is  in 
all  his  fascinating  ugliness,  a  huge  beast  who  opens 
his  jaws  as  though  to  swallow  the  canoe  and  all  its 
contents,  and  then,  puffing  and  snorting  like  a  fat  old 
man  going  up-hill,  slowly  disappears  under  the  surface. 
Livingstone's  canoe  was  upset  by  one  of  these  beasts, 
and  the  entire  party  was  endangered. 

The  current  now  runs  very  swiftly,  circling  in  great 
eddies  around  the  rocks  and  islets.  The  canoemen  call 
your  attention  to  columns  of  mist  rising  a  thousand 
feet  in  the  air.  Simultaneously  a  dull  roar,  as  of  a 
double  Niagara,  smites  your  ear.  It  is  Mosi-oa-tunya, 
"Sounding  Smoke,"  and  you  realize  that  the  cataract 
lies  just  ahead.  The  natives  are  paddling  desperately 
to  make  the  point  of  an  island  in  mid-stream — Liv- 
ingstone's Island.  Smoother  water  follows  and  you 
reach  the  landing  in  safety.  You  make  your  way 
through  the  tangled  creepers  and  underbrush  to  the 
lower  end  of  the  island,  and  there  from  a  projecting 
ledge  you  look  down  into  the  gorge  of  the  Victoria 
Falls.  The  river,  1,860  yards  wide,  with  almost  a 
straight  front,  but  broken  by  islands  and  rocks,  makes 
a  leap  of  343  feet  into  a  fissure  so  narrow  that  it  seems 
as  if  a  stone  might  be  thrown  across.  The  clouds  of 
mist,  which  seem  blown  out  of  the  depths  by  great 
explosions,  and  which  fall  about  you  in  heavy  rain,  add 
to  the  sense  of  mystery  and  awe.  The  fierce  rays  of 
the  tropical  sun,  breaking  through,  project  full-circled 
rainbows  against  the  wall  of  falling  waters.  It  is  a 
scene  unmatched  in  all  the  world. 


8  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

When  Livingstone  stood  upon  this  spot,  he  appre- 
ciated fully  the  interest  people  would  take  in  his  dis- 
covery, and  it  was  with  reverent  affection  that  he 
named  the  falls  for  his  own  queen.  He  also  cut  his 
initials  in  the  bark  of  a  great  tree  close  to  the  brink 
of  the  cataract,  and  there  are  those  who  claim  to  make 
out  the  letters  to  this  day.  We  owe  it  to  Cecil  Rhodes 
and  his  Cape-to-Cairo  railroad  that  the  falls  are  now 
made  accessible  from  the  south.  Rhodes  instructed 
his  American  engineers  to  bridge  the  gorge  so  close 
to  the  cataract  that  the  spray  would  fly  into  the  pas- 
sengers' faces  as  the  trains  crossed.  They  literally  did 
this  thing,  and  there  in  the  heart  of  Africa  you  have 
that  graceful  steel  arch,  said  to  be  the  highest  railroad 
bridge  in  the  world,  an  engineering  feat  of  astonish- 
ing boldness.  It  is  worth  a  trip  to  Africa  to  see  the 
Victoria  Falls,  especially  if  you  can  be  there  when 
the  river  is  high. 

A  Native  War-Dance 

Now  for  an  African  war-dance — not  the  real  thing, 
of  course,  but  the  kind  they  arrange  for  European  vis- 
itors when  the  missionary  sends  word  to  the  neighbor- 
ing chiefs,  "I  have  a  visitor  at  the  station  from  over  the 
sea ;  I  desire  him  to  meet  you  and  as  many  of  your  peo- 
ple as  you  can  call.  I  desire  you  to  bring  your  war- 
clubs  and  spears.  We  kill  an  ox  when  the  sun  is  high." 
They  need  no  second  invitation.  Let  it  be  noted  right 
here  that  kings  and  chiefs  in  Africa  are  not  as  rare  as 
in  some  parts  of  the  world.   A  modern  poet  has  it: 


THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA  9 

There's  a  king  on  every  ash-heap, 

There's  princes  not  a  few, 
There's  a  whole  raft-load  of  potentates 

On  the  road  to  Timbuktu. 

So  you  are  sitting  in  the  missionary's  bungalow  the 
day  of  your  arrival.  Tea  has  been  served  and  you 
have  settled  down  to  read  your  mail  from  home,  when 
the  missionary  comes  in  and  says,  "There  are  some 
friends  out  here  who  would  like  to  see  you."  All  un- 
suspecting you  go  out  upon  the  lawn.  Moving  up  the 
hillside  you  behold  a  phalanx  of  black  humanity — some 
hundreds  of  men  in  rows  so  compact  that  they  seem 
to  touch  breast  to  back.  They  are  naked  except  for 
a  leopard  skin  or  some  other  pelt  about  the  waist. 
Their  bodies  shine  like  the  top  of  a  stove;  their  teeth 
glisten  like  ivory.  Every  man  carries  a  knobkerrie 
or  spear,  which  they  raise  simultaneously  to  the  rhythm 
of  a  deep-throated,  minor-strained  war-song.  That 
song — how  it  wails  and  moans  through  interminable 
stanzas,  always  ending  with  a  chord  of  indescribable 
richness!  You  say  to  yourself,  "I  will  remember  that 
song  forever."  Five  minutes  later  you  cannot  recall 
one  line. 

The  phalanx  is  marching  up  the  hill,  or  rather  it  is 
inching  along,  with  much  stamping  of  bare  feet,  as 
the  solid  mass  sways  to  the  right  and  left.  And  now 
braves  come  dancing  out  from  the  front  rank  to  per- 
form special  stunts  for  your  benefit.  One  stabs  at 
imaginary  leopards  in  the  grass — such  feats  of  valor 
that  the  throngs  of  women  who  trail  on  the  borders 


lo  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

halloo  shrilly,  clapping  their  hands  over  their  mouths. 
Another  jumps  into  the  air  an  incredible  distance,  then, 
bounding  forward  as  lithe  as  a  cat,  shakes  his  war-club 
as  though  to  brain  a  dozen  men  at  a  stroke.  There 
is  terrific  applause  from  the  side  lines.  The  women 
are  now  greatly  excited  and  are  drawn  into  the  melee. 
One  hugely  stout  dame  prances  up  and  down  in  what 
an  American  school-girl  would  call  "an  absolutely 
killing  way."  Her  rolls  of  fat  keep  time  with  the 
music. 

The  warriors  are  now  within  fifty  feet  of  the  receiv- 
ing line  and  their  attentions  grow  more  familiar.  A 
beefy  brave  assumes  a  statuesque  pose  in  front  of  the 
mass  and  levels  his  spear  at  your  head.  Now  is  the 
time  of  testing,  white  man!  Keep  your  smile  going 
and  don't  move  an  inch.  He  strides  forward  to  within 
six  feet  of  where  you  stand.  With  rolling  eyes  and 
devilish  grimaces,  he  thrusts  his  spear  to  within  a  few 
inches  of  your  nose.  At  that  critical  moment  the  mis- 
sionary's wife  comes  to  your  rescue  and,  suddenly 
opening  her  sun  umbrella,  she  shoos  him  away. 

Yes,  this  is  a  war-dance,  but  a  highly  good-natured 
one,  with  a  big  ox  roasting  on  a  spit  over  in  the  grove. 
You  return  to  the  bungalow  and  your  mail  from  home, 
rejoicing  that  times  have  changed  so  that  the  natives 
are  to  feed  on  the  ox  instead  of  on  yourself.  The 
thing  impresses  you  as  horribly  heathenish  but  mighty 
interesting.  After  all,  the  most  fascinating  thing  in 
Africa  is  the  African. 


THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA  ii 

The  Great  Zulu  Choir  at  Durban 

By  way  of  contrast  let  us  shift  now  to  a  scene  about 
as  different  from  the  last  as  can  well  be  imagined.  We 
may  the  more  appropriately  speak  of  it  as  a  scene, 
since  it  was  staged  on  the  platform  of  the  city  hall 
in  Durban,  the  leading  city  of  Natal.  In  connection 
with  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  starting  of 
mission  work  among  the  Zulus,  held  in  191 1,  the  vari- 
ous mission  boards  united  in  a  great  public  meeting 
of  felicitation  and  thanksgiving.  The  city  hall  was 
offered  for  the  purpose,  a  superb  auditorium,  not  un- 
like Carnegie  Hall,  New  York,  with  a  seating  capacity 
of  3,000.  It  was  a  daring  enterprise,  as  only  white 
people  were  to  be  admitted,  except  for  250  natives  in 
the  topmost  gallery ;  and  the  whites  of  Durban  had  not 
shown  much  sympathy  with  what  the  missionaries 
were  doing.  But  Lord  Herbert  Gladstone,  the  gov- 
ernor-general of  South  Africa,  was  to  preside;  Lady 
Gladstone,  the  mayor,  and  other  persons  of  prominence 
were  to  attend ;  and  good  speaking  was  promised.  The 
leading  attraction,  however,  proved  to  be  the  Zulu 
choir,  345  strong,  drawn  from  the  near-by  mission 
schools  and  led  by  Lutuli,  a  native  teacher.  The  choir 
was  banked  in  front  of  the  great  organ  and  made  a 
brave  sight,  the  young  men  in  dark  suits  relieved  by 
red  ribbon  rosettes,  the  young  women  in  white  dresses, 
set  off  by  large  Quaker  collars  of  pink  and  blue  in 
alternate  rows. 

Every  seat  in  the  hall  was  occupied,  and  not  less 


12  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

than  one  thousand  persons  stood  throughout  the  eve- 
ning. When  Lord  Gladstone  entered,  the  chorus  rose 
and  gave  him  in  mighty  shout  the  royal  salute  of  a 
Zulu  king,  "Bayete!"  Lord  Gladstone  was  visibly 
moved  by  this  mark  of  respect  and  loyalty.  The 
speeches  were  good,  but  when  the  chorus  rendered  sev- 
eral of  the  great  anthems  of  the  church,  enthusiasm 
swept  over  the  audience,  wave  upon  wave,  until  it  was 
well-nigh  impossible  to  stop  the  applause.  Some  of 
the  numbers  sung  were  Grieg's  "The  Ransomed 
Hosts,"  Stainer's  "Who  Are  These?",  Palmer's  "Trust 
Ye  in  the  Mighty  God."  The  African  is  a  born  singer, 
as  everyone  knows;  but  the  possibilities  of  a  drilled 
chorus  of  Africans  just  out  of  the  jungle,  rendering 
the  noblest  Christian  compositions,  had  seemingly 
never  been  suspected.  The  volume  which  came  from 
those  sable  breasts,  the  richness  of  tone,  the  velvety 
effects  of  the  quiet  passages,  the  swelling  crescendos, 
the  vigor  of  attack,  the  significance  they  put  into  the 
words, — here  was  a  unique  and  thrilling  combination. 
The  soul  of  Africa  was  speaking  in  the  music  of  that 
hour.  A  particularly  strong  impression  was  produced 
by  the  rendering  of  "Diademata" : 

Crown  him  with  many  crowns, 

The  Lamb  upon  his  throne ! 
Hark,  how  the  heavenly  anthem  drowns 

All  music  but  its  own! 
Awake,  my  soul,  and  sing 

Of  him  who  died  for  thee, 
And  hail  him  as  thy  matchless  King 

Through  all  eternity. 


THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA  13 

Here  was  Africa  giving  back  to  the  white  man  in 
beautiful  harmonies  the  gospel  she  had  received.  Here 
was  Africa  pledging  herself  to  join  the  white  man  in 
sending  that  gospel  to  the  continent's  remotest  bound. 
One  missionary  who  was  present  writes  that  he  has 
since  heard  those  very  songs  of  the  Zulu  choir  sung 
in  distant  places,  out  in  the  wilds  of  Natal  and  in 
remote  parts  of  the  Transvaal. 

Possibly  these  five  glimpses  into  Africans  life  will 
help  us  to  realize  that  the  continent  is  not  such  a  dull 
place  after  all.  It  has  been  called  the  monotonous  con- 
tinent, in  reference  to  its  regular  coast-line  and  the 
sameness  of  its  topography  in  certain  sections;  but  to 
one  alive  to  historical,  anthropological,  scenic,  and 
present-day  human  interest,  it  oifers  a  bewildering 
array  of  attractions. 

How   Great  Is  Africa? 

At  one  time,  strictly  speaking,  Africa  was  hardly 
more  than  a  corner  of  what  we  call  Tunis,  where  dwelt 
a  Berber  tribe,  known  as  Afarik,  which  is  said  to  have 
given  its  name  to  the  Roman  colony  of  Africa.  This 
name  gradually  expanded  until  it  embraced  the  en- 
tire continent,  very  much  as  Asia  came  to  be  named 
from  a  small  section  of  Asia  Minor.  To  the  Egyp- 
tians, Africa  was  the  Nile  valley  as  far  south  as 
Abyssinia,  together  with  the  southern  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean  and  the  western  coast  of  the  Red  Sea. 
To  the  Phoenicians,  Africa  may  have  extended  as  far 


14  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

south  as  the  Zambezi  on  the  east  coast  and  even  far- 
ther; it  depends  upon  where  you  locate  the  Ophir  of 
the  Bible,  whether  in  Arabia  or  in  South  Africa. 
Ptolemy,  the  geographer  and  mathematician,  living  in 
the  second  century  A.  D.,  drew  a  map  on  which  he 
traced  the  source  of  the  Nile  to  two  lakes  near  the 
equator — a  remarkably  accurate  calculation,  or  was  it 
a  guess  ?  For  several  centuries  the  Romans  based  their 
ideas  on  Ptolemy's  map.  At  the  time  of  the  Mohamme- 
dan invasion  in  the  seventh  century,  nothing  seems  to 
have  been  known  of  Africa  south  of  the  Sahara 
Desert.  But  it  was  not  long  before  the  enterprising 
Arab  traders  opened  up  the  great  Sudan  region  as  far 
south  as  the  forests  of  the  Congo. 

It  is  to  the  Portuguese  navigators  that  we  owe  our 
knowledge  of  Africa's  size  and  shape.  When  they 
began  their  explorations  late  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
the  continent  was  supposed  to  be  a  stunted  affair,  about 
half  its  real  size.  It  was  this  mistake  which  led  them 
to  seek  a  route  to  India  by  rounding  the  southern  point 
of  Africa,  just  as  Columbus,  by  a  similar  miscalcula- 
tion, sought  to  reach  India  by  sailing  westward.  It  is 
a  curious  coincidence  that  it  was  the  lure  of  India 
which  led  both  to  the  discovery  of  America  and  the 
delimiting  of  Africa.  The  work  of  these  venturesome 
Portuguese  should  be  kept  clearly  in  mind.  A  good 
date  to  remember  is  141 5,  which  may  be  said  to  mark 
the  beginning  of  modern  exploration.  In  that  year 
Prince  Henry  emerged  as  the  national  hero  of  Portu- 
gal in  connection  with  the  capture  from  the  Moors  of 


THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA  15 

Ceuta,  the  port  in  Morocco  directly  opposite  Gibraltar. 
This  was  little  Portugal's  "comeback"  upon  Moham- 
medanism after  six  centuries  of  oppression. 

Then  began  the  voyages  down  the  west  coast  by 
Prince  Henry  and  other  daring  souls,  by  which  they 
passed  cape  after  cape,  until  they  discovered  the  mouth 
of  the  Congo  in  1484.  It  was  in  1497  that  Bartholo- 
mew Diaz  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  passed 
into  the  Indian  Ocean.  Ten  years  later,  the  greatest 
of  them  all,  Vasco  da  Gama,  with  four  small  ships, 
explored  the  east  coast  as  far  north  as  Mombasa  and 
then,  by  one  of  the  most  daring  decisions  of  history, 
struck  across  the  waste  of  waters  until  he  landed  on 
"India's  coral  strand."  We  Americans  do  well  to 
sing  the  praises  of  Columbus  and  the  Cabots,  to  whom 
our  continent  owes  so  much;  but  let  us  not  forget  the 
equally  thrilling  adventures  of  Prince  Henry  and  da 
Gama,  who  placed  the  great  bulk  of  Africa  on  the 
map  as  we  find  it  to-day. 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  that  Portugal,  through 
her  ownership  of  Brazil,  her  grip  on  India,  and  with 
three  quarters  of  the  coast  of  Africa  hers  by  the  right 
of  discovery,  was  the  great  commercial  and  colonizing 
power  of  the  sixteenth  century.  In  those  days  that 
little  country  of  two  million  souls  styled  her  monarch 
"King  of  Portugal  and  of  the  Two  Lands  of  the  Set- 
ting Sun  on  this  Side  and  on  that  Side  of  the  Sea 
in  Africa,  Lord  of  Guinea  and  of  the  Conquest  and 
Navigation  of  Ethiopia,  Arabia,  Persia,  and  India." 
Had  Portugal's  life  been  quickened  by  the  Reforma- 


i6  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

tion,  so  that  she  could  have  swung  into  line  with  the 
modern  states,  she  might  easily  have  rivaled  England 
in  her  influence  upon  the  world.  As  it  was,  an  exten- 
sive trade  with  India  and  with  the  African  coasts  was 
developed,  only  to  have  the  great  prizes  of  commerce 
fall  to  the  English  and  the  Dutch. 

How  great  then  is  Africa?  To  say  that  it  contains 
12,000,000  square  miles  conveys  little;  the  mind  takes 
in  such  figures  with  difficulty.  The  method  of  com- 
parison is  better;  so  we  might  say  that  Africa  is  three 
times  the  size  of  Europe,  half  as  large  again  as  North 
America,  or  about  the  size  of  North  America  and 
Europe  combined.  In  round  numbers  it  measures 
5,000  miles  north  and  south  and  4,500  miles  east  and 
west.    It  ranks  second  among  the  continents  in  size. 

A  Continent  of  Great  Things 

But  it  is  when  we  penetrate  the  mysterious  depths 
of  this  continent  that  our  enthusiasm  begins  to  kindle. 
What  lakes  and  rivers!  One  of  the  pallbearers  at 
Livingstone's  funeral  in  Westminster  Abbey  was 
Henry  M.  Stanley,  who,  three  years  before,  had 
rescued  the  famous  missionary  and  explorer  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Tanganyika.  A  few  days  later  Stanley 
found  himself  in  the  office  of  the  London  Daily  Tele- 
graph. Mr.  Edward  Lawson,  the  editor,  came  in,  and 
they  fell  to  discussing  Livingstone  and  the  completion 
of  his  task.  Lawson  asked  how  much  remained  to  be 
done.  Stanley  answered :  ^'The  outlet  of  Lake 
Tanganyika    is    undiscovered.       We    know    nothing 


THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA  17 

scarcely,  except  what  Speke  has  sketched  out,  of  Lake 
Victoria.  We  do  not  even  know  whether  it  consists 
of  one  or  many  lakes,  and  therefore  the  sources  of  the 
Nile  are  still  unknown.  Moreover,  the  western  half 
of  the  central  African  continent  is  still  a  white  blank." 

"Do  you  think  you  can  settle  all  this  if  we  commis- 
sion you?" 

*'WhIle  I  live  there  will  be  something  done.  If  I 
survive  the  time  required  to  perform  all  the  work,  all 
shall  be  done." 

They  reached  an  agreement  on  the  spot,  and  a  cable 
was  at  once  dispatched  to  James  Gordon  Bennett  of 
the  New  York  Herald  in  these  words :  "Will  you  join 
the  Daily  Telegraph  in  sending  Stanley  out  to  Africa 
to  complete  the  discoveries  of  Speke,  Burton,  and  Liv- 
ingstone?" Back  came  the  laconic  reply,  "Yes.  Ben- 
nett." Who  could  have  foreseen  what  great  events 
for  the  world  hinged  on  the  chance  meeting  of  Stan- 
ley and  Lawson  that  day!  The  immediate  result  was 
the  opening  up  of  the  lake  and  river  system  of  cen- 
tral Africa.  Victoria  Nyanza  was  circumnavigated 
and  established  as  the  source  of  the  Nile,  and  as  the 
second  greatest  lake  in  the  world.  On  the  same  trip 
Stanley  discovered  Albert  Edward  Nyanza  and  fin- 
ished the  exploration  of  Tanganyika,  which  he  had 
begun  with  Livingstone.  It  must  have  been  a  tender 
moment  when  he  stood  again  at  Ujiji  where,  five 
years  before,  he  had  found  Livingstone,  "looking  pale 
and  weary,"  and  where  he  accosted  him  in  the  simple 
words,  "Dr.  Livingstone,  I  presume?"     Stanley  then 


i8  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

set  out  to  solve  the  secrets  of  the  Lualaba,  that  mysteri- 
ous stream  which  had  so  puzzled  Livingstone,  and  near 
whose  banks  his  career  came  to  an  end.  The  Lualaba 
proving  to  be  nothing  else  than  the  Congo,  Stanley  de- 
termined to  explore  the  river  to  its  mouth.  When  he 
emerged  at  the  coast  after  that  perilous  voyage  of 
1,500  miles,  it  may  be  said  that  Africa's  veil  was  lifted. 

Some  who  read  these  pages  will  recall  the  profound 
interest  which  was  stirred  by  Stanley's  books  and  even 
how  he  appeared  on  the  lecture  platform,  with  the 
deep  furrows  on  his  face,  and  his  strangely  white  hair. 
Yet  the  task  he  brought  to  a  conclusion  was  begun  by 
the  Rornan  Emperor  Nero,  who  seems  to  have  been 
the  first "  interest  himself  in  discovering  the  sources 
of  the  Nile.    How  old  and  yet  how  new  is  Africa ! 

Against  this  historical  background  it  is  easy  to  sketch 
the  remaining  features  of  Africa's  interior  regions. 
To  lakes  Victoria  Nyanza  and  Albert  Edward  Nyanza 
we  add  Albert  Nyanza,  as  comprising  the  reservoirs 
of  the  Nile.  Tanganyika,  we  now  know,  empties  into 
the  Congo.  Add  Lake  Chad  in  the  Sudan,  which  has 
no  outlet,  and  which  yet  remains  fresh,  and  Lake 
Nyasa,  toward  the  east,  which  empties  into  the  Zam- 
bezi, and  you  have  the  leading  lakes  of  the  continent. 

Of  the  four  great  rivers  which  penetrate  the  conti- 
nent, three  take  rise  in  the  lake  region  of  the  cen- 
tral plateau,  the  Nile  running  north,  the  Congo  run- 
ning west,  and  the  Zambezi  running  south.  The  Niger, 
which  ranks  third  in  size,  drains  the  vast  territory 
lying  to  the  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  as  far  up 


THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA  19 

as  the  Sahara.  Its  immense  size  is  indicated  by  the 
delta,  which  extends  one  hundred  miles  inland. 

Closely  associated  with  the  rivers  are  the  great  for- 
ests of  Africa.  Stanley's  description  of  how,  on  his 
search  for  Emin  Pasha,  he  hacked  his  way  through  the 
dark  forest  of  the  upper  Congo  to  the  lake  region,  is 
the  classic  on  this  subject.  Stanley  speaks  of  forest 
growth  so  dense  that  the  rays  of  the  sun  never  pene- 
trated to  the  ground.  He  describes  how  he  found 
himself  depressed,  almost  overwhelmed  by  these 
gloomy  shades.  Subsequent  explorers  say  they  have 
never  found  the  forest  as  dense  as  that.  They  speak, 
however,  of  the  luxuriance  of  the  undergrowth  and  the 
tangle  of  creepers  and  parasitic  vines  which  beset  the 
traveler  the  moment  he  leaves  the  beaten  path.  The 
Congo  basin  throughout  is  heavily  forested,  as  are  the 
river  bottoms  elsewhere.  Detached  tropical  wood- 
lands of  great  density  and  beauty  are  found  on  the 
mountain  slopes  in  various  parts  of  the  continent. 

The  world  has  yet  to  discover  the  commercial  value 
of  Africa's  tropical  forests.  Red  and  brown  mahogany 
is  much  sought  after,  but  other  woods  as  beautiful  are 
unknown  in  Europe  and  America.  Mr.  Arthur  Orner, 
the  forester  of  the  American  Board  at  Mt.  Silinda, 
Rhodesia,  has  listed  over  twenty  trees  whose  wood 
takes  on  a  beautiful  color  and  finish.  In  the  Mt.  Silinda 
forest  mahoganies  grow  ten  and  twelve  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  200  feet  tall. 

In  general,  however,  it  may  be  said  that  the  African 
forests   are  thin   affairs,   the   trees   being   far   apart, 


20  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

rather  scraggly,  and  not  heavily  leaved.  The  tree- 
trunks,  as  a  rule,  are  so  crooked  and  knotty  as  to  be 
the  despair  of  industrial  missionaries.  The  wood  is 
also  exceedingly  hard.  Travelers  are  often  surprised 
to  find  that  on  the  interior  plateau,  the  continent  offers 
almost  no  suggestion  of  the  tropics,  the  landscape 
being  much  like  that  of  North  America  or  Europe. 
Palms  are  rarely  seen,  except  along  the  streams.  It 
is  a  mistake,  however,  to  generalize  too  freely  from 
particular  journeys.  Africa  not  only  is  of  vast  ex- 
tent, but  it  is  divided  almost  equally  by  the  equator, 
so  that  it  presents  much  variety  and  contrast  in  its 
various  parts.  Even  so  careful  a  writer  as  Henry 
Drummond  occasionally  overlooks  this  fact.  From  his 
journeys  in  the  Nyasa  region  he  concludes  that  the 
characteristic  animal  life  of  tropical  countries  is  rarely 
found  here.  "A  man  must  be  satisfied,"  he  remarks, 
"if  he  sees  a  monkey  once  a  month."  Drummond 
should  have  traveled  on  the  Congo  or  on  the  Zambezi, 
or  even  in  Rhodesia,  where  mission  stations  are  in- 
fested with  these  imps  of  the  wood,  and  where  every 
native  corn-field  has  a  watch-hut  for  keeping  off  the 
baboons. 

On  the  plateau,  where  the  thin  forest  does  not  pre- 
vail, we  have  the  grass  country,  the  savannas  for 
which  Africa  is  famous,  and  where  the  big  game  is 
found.  These  prairie  sections  are  extensive  in  the 
Sudan,  the  lake  country,  and  in  west  Africa,  south 
of  the  Congo  belt.  The  growth  of  the  coarse  grass 
is  an  astonishment  to  travelers.     One  rides  on  horse- 


THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA  21 

back  for  miles,  with  the  grass  waving  high  above  one's 
head.  Lions,  leopards,  and  other  beasts  hide  in  the 
tall  grass,  and  have  a  way  of  emerging  at  inopportune 
moments. 

But  the  interior  is  not  all  prairie  and  forest.  It  may 
not  be  to  the  credit  of  a  continent  to  possess  deserts; 
yet  we  must  think  of  Africa  as  peculiarly  well-fur- 
nished in  this  respect.  The  Desert  of  Sahara  easily 
outranks  all  the  deserts  of  the  world  in  size  and  in 
reputation.  Its  extent  is  enormous,  stretching  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Red  Sea,  and  covering  twenty 
degrees  of  latitude  in  the  widest  part.  It  should  not 
be  thought  of  as  a  monotonous  waste  of  level  sand. 
There  are  wide  varieties  in  elevation,  and  extensive 
oases,  supporting  considerable  population.  A  study 
of  the  map  will  reveal  that  in  the  little  known  Tibesti 
region  there  is  a  mountain  range  rising  to  an  altitude 
of  8,000  feet,  from  which  numerous  streams  run 
down  into  the  burning  sands.  In  the  Sahara,  say 
the  desert  tribesmen,  is  the  "Garden  of  Allah."  Un- 
doubtedly a  book  could  be  written  on  the  majesties  and 
beauties  of  the  sand  stretches  of  northern  Africa. 
Undoubtedly  another  book  could  be  written  on  the 
terrors  of  the  region.  Consider  that  the  Nile,  which 
traverses  the  Sahara  for  one  thousand  miles,  has  not 
changed  the  character  of  the  country  in  any  respect, 
except  for  a  narrow  fringe  of  arable  land  along  either 
bank. 

Then  there  is  the  great  Kalahari  Desert  in  South 
Africa,  which  lay  across  the  path  of  the  early  mis- 


22  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

sionaries  as  an  almost  insuperable  barrier,  and  which 
has  hindered  the  development  of  German  Southwest 
Africa  in  our  day.  As  the  North  African  states,  with 
their  fertile  soil  and  equable  climate,  are  shut  off  from 
central  Africa  by  the  Sahara  on  the  south,  so  the  South 
African  region,  still  more  favorable  for  European 
settlement,  is  shut  off  by  the  Kalahari  Desert  on  the 
north. 

And  how  about  mountains?  Here  alone  Africa 
seems  to  fall  short  of  full  interest.  Everything  seems 
great  except  the  mountain  ranges.  There  is  nothing 
comparable  to  the  Himalayas,  the  Alps,  the  Canadian 
Rockies,  the  Andes.  Yet  we  must  not  forget  the  Atlas 
range  which  zigzags  across  Morocco  and  Algeria  and 
which  boasts  peaks  15,000  feet  high,  on  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  ancients,  the  heavens  themselves  rested ; 
or  the  tangled  mass  of  mountains  in  Abyssinia,  which 
some  have  ventured  to  call  the  Switzerland  of  Africa. 
Those  who  have  vivid  recollections  of  the  mountain 
fighting  in  the  Boer  War  will  think  the  Drakensbergs  in 
Natal  are  worthy  of  mention.  Africa's  characteristic 
mountains,  however,  are  solitary  peaks,  like  Kiliman- 
jaro in  German  East,  which  rises  to  an  altitude  of 
19,321 ;  Kenia  in  British  East,  17,007  feet;  Ruwenzori, 
near  Albert  Edward  Nyanza,  discovered  by  Stanley, 
16,619  feet,  and  Mt.  Cameroun  on  the  west  coast, 
13,370  feet.  These  are  volcanic  cones  which  rise  with 
snow-capped  summits  from  the  midst  of  tropical  for- 
ests, an  incomparably  beautiful  sight. 

In  its  broadest  terms,  Africa  may  be  described  as 


THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA  23 

consisting  of  a  low-lying  coast  strip,  a  few  hundred 
miles  wide,  hot  and  unhealthy;  a  mountain  strip  back 
from  the  coast,  high  and  salubrious;  and  an  interior 
plateau,  diversified  by  mountains  and  hills,  with  an 
elevation  averaging  3,000  feet,  and  a  climate  in  which 
virile  whites  can  live.  Africa  has  been  compared  to  an 
inverted  saucer — the  rim  being  the  coast  region,  the 
projecting  circle  on  which  the  saucer  rests  being  the 
mountain  ranges;  and  the  slightly  depressed  center, 
the  interior  plateau.  This  figure  implies  a  rather  broad 
generalization,  but  it  has  its  value. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  Africa  passes  all  computa- 
tion. Johannesburg  produces  one  third  of  the  world's 
gold  supply.  Ninety  per  cent,  of  our  diamonds  come 
from  Kimberly  and  the  other  mines  of  South  Africa. 
In  these  treasures  the  continent  stands  supreme. 
When  we  add  the  copper  deposits  of  the  Katanga  dis- 
trict, on  the  upper  Congo,  said  to  be  the  greatest  in 
the  world,  the  iron,  the  tin,  and  the  coal  of  various 
sections,  being  uncovered  by  the  prospector,  we  are 
inclined  to  agree  with  those  who  claim  that  the  natural 
wealth  of  Africa  is  equal  to  that  of  any  two  of  the 
other  continents.  What  this  means  in  the  way  of 
commercial  development  in  coming  years  it  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  imagine. 

A   Continent  of  Strange  People 

Our  real  interest  is  to  be  in  the  people  of  Africa. 
What  sort  of  beings  inhabit  these  solitudes,  range 
through  these  forests,  paddle  down  these  streams,  and 


24  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

hunt  the  wild  beasts  of  the  grass  country?  The  best 
way  will  be  to  let  the  people  disclose  themselves  as  we 
proceed,  section  by  section ;  but  a  general  classification 
is  desirable  at  the  outset.  At  first  there  appears  to  be 
a  perfect  jumble  of  tribes,  only  one  characteristic 
standing  out  sharp  and  clear — they  are  all  of  dark 
color.  Closer  attention,  however,  develops  marked 
dissimilarities;  even  the  color  breaks  up  into  half 
a  dozen  different  hues.  Speaking  roughly,  we  may  say 
there  are  five  fairly  distinct  peoples  in  Africa.  First 
are  the  aborigines  of  the  Mediterranean  states;  Lib- 
yans, the  Romans  called  them;  Berbers,  we  call  them 
to-day.  Egypt  has  always  been  a  distinct  part  of 
Africa,  but  racially  the  native  Egyptians  belong  to  this 
Hamitic  stock.  Second,  we  place  the  Arabs  and  other 
Semitic  folk  who  have  come  over  from  western  Asia 
and  who  seem  to  think  that,  religiously,  at  least,  the 
continent  belongs  to  them.  Third  are  the  negroes 
proper,  who  dwell  largely  in  the  Sudan,  but  whose 
most  characteristic  development  is  on  the  Guinea 
coast,  whence  most  of  our  American  negroes  came. 
Fourth  are  the  widely  scattered  Bantu  people,  stretch- 
ing all  the  way  from  the  lakes  to  the  tip  of  the  con- 
tinent. They  are  quite  similar  to  the  negroes,  but 
must  be  classed  together  as  a  distinct  language  group. 
Historically  they  probably  represent  an  invasion  or  a 
migration  from  the  north  in  very  ancient  times.  We 
shall  have  much  to  say  about  these  Bantus.  Finally, 
there  are  those  strange  people,  the  Pigmies  of  the 
Congo,  and  the  Hottentots  and  Bushmen  of  the  Cape. 


I- 


IN  THE  DESERT  OF  SAHARA 


THE    LURE   OF   AFRICA  25 

How  shall  we  class  them?  The  best  way  seems  to  be 
to  lump  them  together  as  survivals  of  the  most  ancient 
of  Africans,  the  bona  fide  aborigines,  coming  about 
as  close  to  the  primitive  man-animal  as  any  race  on 
earth.    These  people  are  all  ilitensely  interesting. 

As  to  the  languages,  we  find  a  bewildering  array, 
and  this  constitutes  one  of  the  most  difficult  problems 
of  mission  work.  Although  the  British  and  American 
Bible  Societies  have  printed  the  Scriptures  in  one 
hundred  African  tongues,  there  remain  423  tongues 
without  the  Word  of  God.  The  accepted  computation 
is  523  distinct  languages  and  320  dialects,  making  843 
varieties  of  speech.  Was  the  Tower  of  Babel  located 
somewhere  in  Africa? 

The  population  of  Africa  is  variously  stated,  figures 
running  from  100,000,000  to  180,000,000.  Census 
officials  have  not  abounded  in  the  Congo  forests  and 
other  interior  sections,  so  that  perhaps  one  man's  guess 
is  as  good  as  another's.  The  latest  governmental  esti- 
mates appear  to  favor  the  more  moderate  figures.  If 
we  settle  tentatively  upon  130,000,000  we  should  not 
be  far  astray. 

Africa   and   the    War 

A  new  interest  in  Africa  has  arisen  because  of  the 
world  war.  Into  four  widely  separated  sections  of 
the  continent  has  the  mighty  struggle  been  projected. 
Not  only  has  Europe  presented  to  the  natives  the  spec- 
tacle of  warring  '^Christian  nations,"  but  the  natives 
themselves  have  been  drawn  into  the  conflict,  so  that 


26  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

we  have  tribe  arrayed  against  tribe  in  the  service  of 
their  masters.  Imagine  Zulus  from  the  British  province 
of  Natal  fighting  their  brethren  i,8oo  miles  to  the 
north,  merely  because  they  happen  to  live  under  the 
German  flag !  It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  African  that  his 
confidence  in  the  white  man  and  the  white  man's  re- 
ligion has  not  been  destroyed  through  this  experience. 
While  mission  work  for  the  most  part  has  gone  on  un- 
diminished, the  change  of  control  in  the  Cameroun 
from  German  to  French  has  proved  embarrassing  in 
several  ways,  especially  in  the  requirement  that  the 
French  language  shall  be  substituted  for  the  German 
in  mission  schools.  In  German  East  the  work  of  the 
German  missionaries  has  been  suspended,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  fighting  has  been  carried  into  every  corner 
of  the  colony.  In  German  Southwest,  also,  the  work 
has  been  brought  to  a  standstill.  Africa  of  the  present 
day  claims  every  human  interest  as  her  own — even  the 
saddest. 

A  Continent  of  Great  Adventurers 

Africa  has  lured  the  stalwart  souls  of  many  ages. 
The  Portuguese  navigators  were  great  discoverers  and 
builders  of  civilization  because  they  were  great  ad- 
venturers. They  had  a  sublime  trust  in  themselves  and 
also  in  God,  according  to  their  light.  They  were  great 
men.  Let  this  fact  lay  hold  upon  us  at  the  very  out- 
set. Africa  beckons  the  great.  The  modern  explorers, 
like  Speke,  Grant,  Stanley,  and  Cameron,  form  a 
worthy  succession.     They  have  not  been  surpassed  in 


THE    LURE   OF   AFRICA  27 

their  field.  To  these  add  the  adventurers  in  government 
and  industry,  of  whom  Cecil  Rhodes  is  the  king.  They 
have  not  been  above  criticism.  That  is  putting  it  rather 
mildly.  But  they  were  men  of  colossal  nerve  and  dar- 
ing; and  they  have  accomplished  wonders.  Of  late  the 
sportsman  is  having  his  turn  with  Africa.  What  stories 
they  tell,  what  books  they  have  written,  what  amazing 
creatures  they  have  placed  in  our  museums !  The  same 
type  again — from  Roosevelt  to  Rains  ford  and  Stewart 
Edward  White. 

The  greatest  adventurers  of  all  are  the  missionaries. 
Have  you  ever  considered  the  fact  of  the  large  number 
of  really  great  missionaries,  missionaries  whose  lives 
are  upon  our  shelves,  who  felt  the  lure  of  this  con- 
tinent? Moffat,  Livingstone,  Mackenzie,  Grout,  Coil- 
lard,  Hannington,  Stewart,  Mackay,  Pilkington,  Laws, 
Grenfell,  Good,  Lapsley,  Mary  Slessor — what  a  list! 
Some  of  these  men  were  explorers  and  founders  of 
states  as  well  as  preachers  of  the  Word.  They  had 
just  one  life  to  live  and  they  chose  Africa.  Why  was 
it?  Because  the  lure  of  the  divine  quest  laid  its  spell 
upon  them.  Their  idea  was  that  Africa,  the  continent 
of  the  storied  past,  the  continent  of  beauty,  the  con- 
tinent of  barbarism  and  wo,  should  be  the  continent 
of  Christ.  He  who  studies  Africa  should  study  in  the 
spirit  of  a  great  adventure. 


STRONGHOLDS  OF  MOHAMMEDANISM 


o 

STRONGHOLDS  OF  MOHAMMEDANISM 

On  March  30,  1912,  the  sultan  of  Morocco,  sitting 
in  his  capital  at  Fez,  signed  the  treaty  which  estab- 
lished the  power  of  France  throughout  his  nation. 
Since  then  the  tricolor  has  waved  over  the  land  of  the 
Moors  from  the  ports  of  the  Atlantic  to  the  high  peaks 
of  the  Atlas  range. 

On  October  15,  19 12,  Mohammed  V,  sultan  of 
Trukey,  sitting  in  his  palace  on  the  Bosporus,  signed 
the  treaty  of  Lausanne,  which  relinquished  to  Italy  the 
vilayet  of  Tripoli.  To-day  the  red,  white,  and  green 
banner  floats  over  this  immense  area  from  the  Ben- 
ghazi to  Fezzan. 

In  December,  1914,  on  the  occasion  of  the  entry  of 
Turkey  into  the  war  on  the  side  of  the  Central  Powers, 
Great  Britain  deposed  the  khedive  of  Egypt,  who  was 
ruling  in  the  name  of  the  Turkish  sultan,  and  who  had 
become  overfond  of  that  connection.  She  placed  on 
the  throne,  with  the  title  of  sultan,  Hussein,  an  uncle 
of  the  former  khedive,  and  formally  declared  Egypt 
to  be  a  protectorate  of  Great  Britain. 

Thus  within  five  years  Mohammedanism  has  lost 
control  of  the  three  states  which  remained  to  it  in 
North  Africa.     Should  Turkey  some  day  forfeit  her 

31 


32  THE    LURE   OF   AFRICA 

independence — and  there  are  those  who  think  she  has 
done  so  already — not  a  self-governing  country  will  be 
left  of  all  the  lands  once  ruled  by  the  followers  of  the 
Arabian  prophet.  These  are  days  of  the  rapid  dis- 
integration of  Mohammedanism  as  a  political  power. 
It  would  be  a  serious  mistake,  however,  for  us  to  as- 
sume that  Islam  is  everywhere  losing  her  grip  upon 
the  thought  and  life  of  the  people.  In  Persia,  in  India, 
and  even  in  Turkey  it  may  be  true,  but  alas!  not  in 
Africa.  The  tier  of  states  which  are  washed  by  the 
Mediterranean — Morocco,  Algeria,  Tripoli,  Egypt — is 
the  stronghold  of  the  Mohammedan  faith.  For  twelve 
centuries  this  rival  religion  has  been  entrenched 
throughout  this  region,  and  it  shows  but  slight  evi- 
dences of  yielding  to-day.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  from 
the  North  African  states  as  a  base  that  Islam  is  carry- 
ing on  her  active  missionary  propaganda  throughout 
the  Sudan  and  beyond.  How  all  this  came  to  be  is  a 
lesson  of  first  importance  to  every  Christian. 

When  Christianity  Dominated  North  Africa 

If  we  could  go  back  to  the  days  of  the  saintly 
Augustine,  and  could  visit  Alexandria,  Cyrene,  Car- 
thage, Hippo,  and  the  other  cities  of  the  coast,  we  would 
say,  "Christianity  is  so  strongly  established  in  this 
region  that  its  overthrow  is  inconceivable."  We  would 
find  hundreds  of  bishoprics,  great  churches  with  their 
endowments,  extensive  monasteries,  clergy  of  various 
ranks,  impressive  rituals,  fasts  and  feasts  in  great 
abundance,  and  an  all-around  development  of  church 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        33 

service  and  life.  Alexandria  in  the  fifth  century  was 
one  of  the  great  capitals  of  the  empire.  The  ancient 
Caesareum,  converted  into  a  church,  was  one  of  the 
noblest  structures  in  the  city,  being  marked  by  two 
obelisks,  known  as  Cleopatra's  Needles.  We  read  that 
there  were  no  less  than  600  monasteries  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Alexandria.  Egypt  for  centuries  was 
the  most  splendid  seat  of  oriental  Christianity. 

In  North  Africa  proper,  that  is,  the  coast  region 
aside  from  Egypt  and  Cyrenaica,  the  situation  was 
somewhat  different.  In  this  vast  domain,  of  which 
Carthage  was  the  capital,  Christianity  was  strong  in 
leadership  and  fairly  strong  in  numbers;  but  it  pos- 
sessed no  such  powerful  organization  as  most  writers 
have  supposed.  We  read  of  six  church  provinces  be- 
ing formed  in  the  reign  of  Diocletian  (284-305),  not- 
withstanding his  fierce  edicts  against  Christianity  and 
the  resulting  persecutions.  In  the  year  411  a  con- 
ference was  called  at  Carthage  over  doctrinal  difficul- 
ties, attended  by  more  than  500  bishops.  These 
bishops,  however,  were  hardly  more  than  pastors, 
since  in  Augustine's  time  the  parishes  numbered  a 
little  over  500.  Augustine,  himself,  if  we  may 
judge  from  one  of  his  sermons,  presided  over  about  a 
dozen  priests  and  deacons.  The  strength  of  the  church 
in  North  Africa  was  primarily  the  strength  of  tower- 
ing personalities,  like  Tertullian,  Cyprian,  and  Augus- 
tine, to  whom  the  Roman  world  went  to  school.  Under 
their  leadership  considerable  progress  was  made  in 
the  conversion  from  heathenism  of  the  Berber  tribes; 


34  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

but  these  tribes,  never  loyal  to  Rome,  were  not  over- 
zealous  in  behalf  of  the  Roman  Church.  Many  of 
these  peoples  had  strong  leanings  toward  Judaism. 
Yet,  after  due  allowance  is  made  for  these  facts,  when 
we  consider  the  extent  of  the  North  African  church, 
and  especially  when  we  take  in  view  the  splendor  of 
the  establishment  in  Egypt,  it  would  seem  that  Chris- 
tianity should  have  been  able  to  withstand  any  as- 
saults, from  within  or  without.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  went  down  with  a  crash  before  the  Mohammedan 
invaders. 

The  Mohammedan  Invasion 

The  man  primarily  responsible  for  the  subjugation 
of  North  Africa  and  for  the  annihilation  of  the  church 
boasted  the  name  of  Amr-ibn-ei-Asi.  In  spite  of  his 
name  this  man  was  no  "hyphenate.'*  He  was  an  Arab 
of  the  most  fanatical  brand,  knowing  but  one  al- 
legiance— the  faith  of  Islam.  Back  of  him  towered  the 
personality  of  Mohammed,  dreamer,  fanatic,  despot, 
only  six  years  in  his  grave,  but  raging  like  a  simoom 
from  the  desert  in  the  souls  of  his  lieutenants.  There 
can  be  no  more  striking  commentary  upon  the  power 
of  this  movement  which  burst  upon  the  world  from  the 
heart  of  Arabia,  than  the  fact  that  Amr-ibn-el-Asi 
invaded  Egypt  in  640  A.  D.  with  a  force  of  only  4,000 
men.  Apparently  one  Arab  was  equal  to  ten  Egyptians. 
In  fact,  Alexandria  surrendered  without  a  struggle, 
and  shortly  the  entire  Nile  valley  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  invaders.     There  followed  an  extensive  immi- 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        35 

gration  from  Arabia,  and  in  an  almost  incredibly  short 
space  of  time,  the  proud  structure  of  Roman  civiliza- 
tion and  Christian  institutions  became  a  thing  of  the 
past.  The  loss  of  the  collection  of  ancient  manu- 
scripts in  the  great  library  of  Alexandria,  the  largest 
in  the  ancient  world,  is  everywhere  recognized 
by  scholars  as  one  of  the  tragedies  of  history.  The 
story  goes  that  Amr  consulted  Omar,  the  caliph,  as  to 
what  he  should  do  with  the  books,  and  Omar  replied, 
"If  these  writings  of  the  Greeks  agree  with  the  book 
of  God,  they  are  useless  and  need  not  be  preserved; 
if  they  disagree,  they  are  pernicious  and  ought  to  be 
destroyed."  Whereupon,  it  is  stated,  "the  rolls  were 
distributed  among  the  4,000  baths  of  the  city,  and  it 
took  six  months  to  burn  them  all."  The  story  is  pic- 
turesque, and  in  a  way  characteristic ;  but  since  it  is  of 
doubtful  validity  it  should  not  be  used  to  the  discredit 
of  Islam.^ 

The  rapidity  of  the  Mohammedan  movement  in  its 
sweep  westward  is  highly  significant.  A  succession 
of  conquerors  came  to  the  front — their  names  need  not 
bother  us — and  by  66S  what  is  now  Tripoli  was  a 
Moslem  state.  Algeria  went  down  with  little  resistance 
and  the  Arab  hordes  swept  onward  to  the  Pillars  of 
Hercules.  The  story  is  told  that  Akba,  who  raided 
Morocco,  rode  his  horse  far  out  into  the  surf  and  cried, 
"Great  God,  if  I  were  not  stopped  by  this  raging  sea, 
I  would  go  to  the  nations  of  the  west,  preaching  the 

1  The  grounds  on  which  this  story  is  discredited  are  set  forth  con- 
vincingly by  W.  F.  Adeney  in  his  The  Greek  and  Eastern  Churches. 


36  TPE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

unity  of  thy  name  and  putting  to  the  sword  those  who 
would  not  submit."  This  is  rather  too  melodramatic 
to  be  true,  but  it  suggests  the  fierce  impetuosity  which 
everywhere  characterized  the  North  African  invasion. 

The  year  711  is  usually  given  as  the  date  when  the 
entire  north  coast  was  in  the  hands  of  the  invaders. 
In  the  same  year  Tarik,  a  Berber  prince,  who  had  been 
converted  to  Islam,  landed  at  Gibraltar  with  13,000 
men  and  commenced  the  invasion  of  Europe. 

In  all  this  history  we  are  to  bear  in  mind  that 
Christianity  went  down  as  completely  as  did  Roman 
government  and  law.  To  the  Arab  conquerors,  as  also 
to  many  of  the  Berber  tribes,  the  two  were  bound  up 
in  the  same  bundle.  It  is  quite  conceivable  that  the 
church  might  have  maintained  herself  under  a  Moslem 
government;  but  this  was  not  to  be.  The  plain  fact 
is  that  Christianity  was  wiped  out  in  North  Africa, 
and  in  the  Nile  valley  remained  only  in  two  struggling 
and  degenerate  branches  of  the  church.  Islam  glories 
in  this  fact  to-day  and  is  not  averse  to  throwing  it 
in  the  face  of  the  Christian  who  seeks  to  maintain  the 
superiority  of  his  religion. 

Why    Christianity    Was    Overthrown 

As  Christians  we  should  have  a  clear  philosophy 
of  the  failure  of  the  North  African  branch  of  Chris- 
tianity, so  that  we  may  help  save  our  religion  from 
similar  calamities  in  the  future.  Probably  the  lesson 
had  to  be  demonstrated  at  some  time,  in  some  place, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  church  universal,  and  especially 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        37 

for  those  sections  of  the  church  which  are  emerging 
out  of  paganism. 

A  diagnosis  of  the  situation  reveals  four  fatal  de- 
fects in  North  African  Christianity.  In  the  first  place 
the  North  African  church  was  a  disputing  church.  A 
large  part  of  its  time  was  taken  up  with  squabbles  over 
doctrinal  matters  of  a  more  or  less  technical  nature. 
Its  leaders  were  more  given  to  intellectual  pride  than 
to  humble-mindedness.  In  those  days  what  an  African 
bishop  didn't  know  about  the  nature  of  the  Supreme 
Being  an  angel  wouldn't  care  to  inquire  into.  Chris- 
tianity was,  in  the  main,  an  intellectual  proposition. 
Orthodoxy,  of  the  knife-edge  variety,  was  the  supreme 
end  of  man.  From  this  condition  it  was  but  a  step  to 
the  use  of  physical  force.  It  is  ominous  to  read  that  in 
the  early  days  of  struggle  between  Christianity  and 
heathenism,  mobs  of  monks  gathered  to  destroy  the 
pagan  temples.  One  of  these  mobs,  instigated  by  Cyril, 
the  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  stripped  and  tore  to  pieces 
the  beautiful  Neo-Platonic  philosopher  and  priestess, 
Hypatia,  immortalized  by  Charles  Kingsley.  It  is 
still  more  ominous  to  find  that  heathenism  was  finally 
crushed  out,  or  supposed  to  be,  by  governmental  edict. 

In  the  second  place,  the  church  was  a  divided  church. 
This  was  an  inevitable  outcome  of  the  bitter  con- 
troversies. Parties  sprang  up  like  weeds,  each  one 
calling  the  other  heretics.  The  dominant  faction  would 
brutally  persecute  its  fellow  Christians.  As  early  as 
Augustine's  time  the  impression  made  upon  the  world 
was  of  a  split  Christianity,  since  nearly  half  of  the 


38  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

500  bishops  who  met  at  Carthage  were  in  the 
opposition,  being  known  as  Donatists.  Thus  the  church 
was  hopelessly  weakened,  its  energy  being  dissipated 
in  factional  strife  rather  than  against  the  common  foe. 
How  stupid  and  how  wicked  it  all  looks  to  us  a 
thousand  years  after !  Perhaps  some  of  our  differences 
to-day  will  appear  stupid  and  wicked  to  later  genera- 
tions. 

The  North  African  church,  furthermore,  was  a 
formal,  rather  than  a  vital  church.  The  glorious  soul- 
life,  the  personal  connection  with  God  through  prayer, 
and  with  man  through  service,  so  characteristic  of  the 
early  Christians,  became  buried  under  an  elaborate 
system  of  rites  and  ceremonies.  Christianity  was  a 
performance,  not  a  life.  Even  the  rites  of  heathen 
temples,  with  not  a  few  of  their  degrading  super- 
stitions, gained  a  foothold  among  the  members  of  the 
church  of  Christ.  What  with  their  images  and  their 
relics,  there  was  little  to  choose  between  them  and  some 
of  the  heathen  devotees. 

It  goes  without  saying,  as  our  fourth  count,  that 
this  church  was  a  non-missionary  church.  Back  from 
the  coast  lived  native  tribes  steeped  in  idolatry  and 
given  over  to  all  the  base  practises  of  paganism.  Yet 
the  African  Christians  cared  not.  Their  interest  was 
in  orthodoxy,  not  in  men.  Their  thought  was  turned 
in  upon  themselves.  The  church  had  ceased  to  be 
an  army  for  spiritual  conquest,  and  had  become  a 
debating  society.  Like  some  churches  to-day  it  had 
turned  its  back  upon  a  perishing  world.    Zealous  for 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        39 

the  truth,  it  yet  denied  the  fundamental  principle  of 
our  religion.  It  became  unorthodox  in  the  sphere 
where  orthodoxy  involved  the  very  life  of  the  church. 
Such  is  our  diagnosis.  Intellectual  pride,  party  strife, 
formalism,  self-engrossment — these  all  spell  death  to 
organized  religion  in  any  age.  History  contains  no 
greater  lesson   than  this. 

Twelve    Centuries   After 

"By  their  fruits  ;ye  shall  know  them."  Let  us  now 
take  a  look  at  Mohammedanism  as  it  has  actually 
worked  out  in  this  region.  We  have  spoken  unspar- 
ingly of  the  faults  of  the  North  African  branch  of  the 
Christian  church ;  let  us  deal  as  frankly  with  the  system 
which  took  its  place. 

Mohammedanism  is  a  religion  of  the  desert.  It 
arose  in  the  midst  of  Arabian  sands,  was  developed  by 
Bedouin  tribes,  and  to-day  boasts  the  place  of  its 
origin  as  the  religious  center  of  the  world.  Mohamme- 
danism has  in  it  both  the  mystery  and  the  hardness 
of  the  desert.  On  the  one  hand,  it  allures;  on  the 
other,  it  repels.  It  emphasizes  the  unity  of  God,  but  it 
is  the  unity  of  an  arbitrary,  cruel  sovereign,  like  a 
Bedouin  chief.  Need  we  wonder  if  the  fruitage  of  this 
religion  suggests  the  desert  also  ? 

The  first  effects  of  Islam  in  North  Africa  were  un- 
doubtedly beneficent.  It  came  like  a  breath  of  life  upon 
a  decaying  civilization.  Commerce  was  revived,  the 
arts  and  sciences  were  quickened.  We  must  not  for- 
get that  civilization  owes  a  large  debt  to  Arabia  for 


40  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

mathematics  and  astronomy.  North  Africa  naturally 
shared  in  the  revival  of  culture  which  followed  in  the 
wake  of  the  Saracen  armies.  Religiously,  this  is  to  be 
noted :  the  use  of  images  and  pictures  was  ruled  out 
of  worship  as  smacking  of  idolatry,  and  a  simple  ser- 
vice of  prayer  in  the  mosque  took  the  place  of  the 
barren  ritual  of  the  church.  The  heathen  tribes  were 
sought  out,  and  their  idolatry,  so  offensive  to  the  Mo- 
hammedan, became  a  thing  of  the  past.  This  may  have 
been  done  with  a  high  hand ;  but  we  must  put  it  over 
against  the  indifference  of  the  church. 

Having  admitted  all  this,  we  have  said  about  all  that 
can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  new  regime.  The  thing 
began  to  work  out  in  Africa  just  as  it  has  in  other  parts 
of  the  world.  When  the  first  burst  of  enthusiasm  was 
over,  the  inherent  defects  of  the  system,  intellectually 
and  morally,  came  to  the  front.  A  pure  and  stern 
monotheism  did  not  prevent  its  theology  from  being 
fatalistic  to  the  core.  Man  is  the  victim  of  inexorable 
fate.  This  served  to  paralyze  human  energy.  There 
was  no  room  for  freedom  or  for  growth  in  Moham- 
med's scheme.  The  word  Islam  means  submission,  the 
submission  of  the  slave.  By  the  same  process  shackles 
were  placed  on  the  human  mind.  Truth  was  fossilized. 
The  Koran  became  a  dead  weight  upon  the  intellectual 
development  of  the  mass  of  the  people  in  all  Moslem 
lands.  Islam  is  a  book  religion  in  the  narrowest  sense 
of  the  word,  an  affair  of  statutes  and  forms. 

To  make  matters  worse,  many  of  these  statutes  were 
guides  to  evil  rather  than  to  good.    It  is  not  necessary 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        41 

in  a  book  of  this  kind  to  give  a  detailed  description  of 
Mohammedan  theology  and  life;  but  certain  ethical 
defects  are  so  notorious  that  they  cannot  be  passed 
by.  Polygamy,  easy  divorce,  concubinage,  the  seclusion 
of  women,  the  appeal  of  the  sensual,  slavery,  in- 
tolerance, cruelty,  these  are  some  of  the  things  which 
became  ingrafted  upon  North  African  life  when  the 
Arabs  took  possession.  They  have  borne  their  deadly 
fruits  in  personal  character  and  social  custom.  We 
think  of  North  Africa  to-day  as  a  blighted  land,  one 
of  the  most  backward  sections  of  the  world,  a  mill- 
stone upon  the  neck  of  civilization. 

Before  the  Great  War,  thousands  of  American  trav- 
elers visited  the  North  African  ports  every  winter  in 
connection  with  the  Mediterranean  trip,  and  the  tales 
they  brought  of  ignorance,  sloth,  dirt,  and  disease  are 
not  challenged  by  Mohammedan  writers.  E.  Alexander 
Powell,  once  connected  with  the  United  States  con- 
sular service  in  Egypt,  describes,  in  his  informing  and 
entertaining  book,  The  Last  Frontier,  the  typical  Moor 
in  vigorous  fashion :  **The  town  Moor  is  sullen,  sus- 
picious of  all  strangers,  vacillating;  the  pride,  but  none 
of  the  energy  of  his  ancestors  remains.  In  his  youth 
he  is  licentious  in  his  acts ;  in  his  old  age  he  is  licentious 
in  his  thoughts.  He  is  abominably  lazy.  He  never 
runs  if  he  can  walk;  he  never  walks  if  he  can  stand 
still;  he  never  stands  if  he  can  sit;  he  never  sits  if  he 
can  lie  down.  The  only  thing  he  puts  any  energy  into 
is  his  talking;  he  believes  that  nothing  can  be  done 
really  well  without  a  hullabaloo."     In  another  place 


42  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

Mr.  Powell  speaks  of  the  Moors  as  probably  the  most 
licentious  race  in  the  world.  "Compared  to  them,  the 
inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  positively 
prudish."  ^ 

In  Southern  Algeria  live  the  Ouled-Nails,  famed  for 
the  rare  beauty  of  the  women  and  for  the  heartless 
fashion  in  which  the  girls  are  sold  into  lives  of  shame 
until  such  time  as  they  can  bring  a  sufficient  dowry  to 
their  expectant  husbands.  As  one  writer  puts  it,  these 
beautiful  creatures  "from  earliest  childhood  are  trained 
for  a  life  of  indifferent  virtue  as  a  horse  is  trained 
for  the  show  ring."  All  this  is  supposed  to  be  en- 
tirely consistent  with  religion.  Another  Moslem  tribe, 
or  conglomeration  of  tribes,  known  as  the  Kabyles, 
has  adopted  the  pagan  custom  by  which  matrimony 
is  made  a  commercial  affair.  Mr.  Powell  states :  "A 
fine  upstanding  Kabyle  maiden  of  fifteen  or  there- 
abouts, with  the  lines  of  a  thoroughbred,  the  profile  of 
a  cameo,  and  a  skin  the  color  of  a  bronze  statue,  will 
fetch  her  parents  anywhere  from  eighty  to  three 
hundred  dollars."'  These  are  not  pleasant  facts,  but 
they  must  be  known  if  we  are  to  have  an  intelligent 
idea  of  the  needs  of  this  part  of  the  world. 

Fortunately  the  condition  of  women  is  not  so  bad 
in  all  sections ;  but  everywhere  the  wives,  the  mothers, 
and  the  daughters,  by  that  abominable  system,  invented 
by  Mohammed  himself,  are  kept  in  rigid  seclusion, 


^  E.  Alexander  Powell,  The  Last  Frontier,  pp.  37,  38. 
2  lUd.,  p.  66. 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        43 

living  practically  the  life  of  prisoners.  Even  Moslem 
writers  are  beginning  to  realize  the  pernicious  effects 
of  this  custom,  particularly  in  keeping  half  of  the  com- 
munity in  ignorance  and  degradation. 

As  to  governmental  and  social  conditions,  Ameri- 
cans had  their  first  look  into  North  Africa  in  connec- 
tion with  the  little  war  of  1801  in  which,  for  a  time, 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  floated  over  the  fortress  of 
Derna  on  the  Tripoli  coast.  When  the  United  States 
frigate  Philadelphia  ran  aground  in  the  harbor  of 
Tripoh,  she  was  captured  by  the  natives  and  her  crew 
enslaved.  At  that  time  Americans  learned  more  about 
the  Moslems  of  North  Africa  than  all  the  books  had 
taught  them.  Italy  now  rules  over  Tripoli,  and  France 
over  Tunis,  Algeria,  and  Morocco,  and  outward  con- 
ditions have  somewhat  improved.  But  down  below  we 
find  the  same  old  Mohammedanism  as  in  the  days  of 
the  caliph  Omar. 

An  exceedingly  unfortunate  condition  exists  in  con- 
nection with  public  health.  One  missionary  writes, 
"Immorality  and  frequency  of  divorce,  and  the  total 
lack  of  hygiene,  combined  with  superstitious  practises, 
have  sapped  the  brains  and  constitutions  of  quite  eighty 
per  cent,  of  the  children."  It  is  stated  on  good  authority 
that  the  natives  of  Algeria  are,  with  few  exceptions, 
tainted  with  syphilis.  Smallpox  and  other  virulent  dis- 
eases abound,  and  the  superstitions  of  the  people  are 
such  that  little  can  be  done  to  prevent  the  spread  of 
such  plagues.  Even  in  Egypt,  after  thirty  years  of 
British  occupancy,  astonishing  figures  are  given  as 


44  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

to  infant  mortality.  A  recent  government  report 
states  that  over  half  the  children  die  before  they  are 
five  years  old.  Whatever  North  Africa  may  desire  for 
itself,  it  is  a  region  which  needs  to  be  cleaned  up  for 
the  benefit  of  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Such  is  the  working  out  of  Mohammed's  religion 
in  a  region  where  it  has  had  full  swing  for  a  thousand 
years.  Lord  Cromer,  for  many  years  British  agent 
and  consul-general  in  Egypt,  is  not  oversanguine  as 
to  what  can  be  done  by  Christianity  in  this  part  of  the 
world;  but  as  for  Islam,  he  admits  the  case  is  hope- 
less. His  position  is  that  Islam  is  incapable  of  ref- 
ormation. A  reformed  Islam  would  not  be  Islam  at 
all.    Where,  then,  is  the  hope  of  North  Africa? 

Christian  Survivals 

Naturally  we  turn  first  to  those  branches  of  the 
ancient  church  which  have  survived,  although  im- 
mersed in  Mohammedan  civilization.  Are  they  dead 
branches,  or  can  they  be  revived  and  become  a  saving 
element  in  African  society? 

Before  the  Mohammedan  invasion,  the  Egyptian,  or 
Coptic  Church,  as  it  came  to  be  called,  had  fallen 
out  with  the  church  at  large  in  connection  with  the 
Monophysite  controversy.  This  was  a  highly  technical 
discussion  over  the  relation  of  the  human  to  the  divine 
in  the  nature  of  Christ,  the  Monophysites  holding  to 
a  single  nature  in  which  the  human  element  appeared 
to  be  ruled  out.  The  Coptic  bishops  favored  this  view, 
and  no  end  of  trouble  arose  on  that  account.    At  the 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        45 

time  of  the  Mohammedan  invasion  the  orthodox 
party  was  making  it  so  hot  for  the  bishops  that  the 
coming  of  the  Arabs  was  actually  welcomed  as  a  re- 
lief. The  spectacle  of  this  ancient  church  standing 
in  with  these  conquerors  of  its  country  and  the  enemies 
of  its  faith  is  humiliating  in  the  extreme.  It  was  re- 
warded by  a  temporary  period  of  toleration,  but  also  by 
an  unusual  degree  of  degradation.  Principal  Adeney 
puts  the  matter  mildly  when  he  says  of  the  Coptic 
Church :  "With  all  its  endowments  it  never  flourished, 
never  grew.  It  has  remained  to  this  day  a  phantom 
church,  with  offices,  but  without  functions." 

Yet  we  recall  that  these  Copts  are  the  direct  descen- 
dants of  the  men  who  built  the  pyramids  and  who, 
when  the  rest  of  the  world  was  asleep,  developed  a 
civilization  which  has  been  the  wonder  of  the  ages. 
Their  church,  too,  has  suffered  much  persecution — 
possibly  more  than  any  other  body  except  the  Ar- 
menians. It  has  cost  them  dearly  to  hold  out.  The 
pressure  of  Islam  has  reduced  the  Coptic  membership 
from  several  millions  to  less  than  700,000.  A  ray  of 
hope  just  now  is  found  in  the  fact  that  they  want  their 
children  educated  and  that  they  are  sending  them  in 
large  numbers  to  mission  schools.  These  children 
will  eventually  be  heard  from.  The  question  as  to  the 
possibilities  of  revival  in  a  decadent  nation  of  long 
standing  is  a  very  difficult  one.  History  has  not  given 
her  final  answer  to  this  question.  It  remains  to  see 
what  the  grace  of  God  can  accomplish,  when  Christian 
people  of  other  lands  are  willing  to  turn  in  and  help. 


46  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

Then  there  is  the  Httle  Abyssinian  Church — a  most 
interesting  survival.  Buried  in  the  mountains  of  the 
easternmost  projection  of  the  continent,  the  Abys- 
sinians  have  maintained  themselves  all  these  centuries 
against  Mohammedan  and  heathen  pressure.  During 
most  of  this  time,  they  have  been  shut  off  from  all  con- 
tact with  other  Christian  bodies.  That  Abyssinia  has 
kept  the  faith  at  all  is  to  her  credit.  There  is  a  strong 
admixture  of  Jewish  elements  in  the  life  of  this  church, 
since  it  holds  to  circumcision,  distinctions  between 
clean  and  unclean  food,  and  the  observance  of 
the  seventh  day.  Adeney  gives  us  an  interesting  pic- 
ture of  the  worship  of  the  Abyssinians.  "There  are 
prayers  and  psalms  and  one  lesson,  all  shouted  rather 
than  intoned  or  merely  read.  The  mass  begins  with  a 
shout  of  hallelujah,  and  concludes  with  a  procession 
of  four  or  five  crosses,  to  an  accompaniment  of  drums, 
cymbals,  and  incense,  carried  round  the  church  quite 
thirty  times." 

The  Church  of  England  undertook  missionary  work 
among  these  mountain  people  in  1829,  but  their  mis- 
sionaries were  driven  out  by  the  intolerant  priests.  At 
present  there  is  only  one  small  mission  station  in  the 
country,  under  Swedish  auspices.  Yet  one  cannot  rid 
himself  of  the  idea  that  some  day  Abyssinia  will  be 
reached  and  that  her  sturdy  people  will  have  a  hand 
in  the  redemption  of  Africa. 

Rallying   Points   of   Christianity 
From  this  checkered  history  of  the  church  in  North 


MOHAMMEDAN  STRONGHOLDS         47 

Africa  we  come  now  to  the  era  of  modern  missions. 
It  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  North  America  to  be  the  pioneer  in  missionary 
efforts  among  the  Copts  and  Moslems  of  the  Nile 
valley,  and  right  nobly  has  this  comparatively  small 
body  risen  to  the  task. 

In  Cairo  and  in  Assiut  the  United  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  maintains  an  array  of  in- 
stitutions which  fairly  bewilders  the  tourist.  It  is  a 
typical  development  of  higher  educational  work  on  the 
mission  field.  In  the  midst  of  the  day-school  for  boys 
and  girls,  the  various  boarding  or  high  schools, 
and  the  theological  seminary,  there  stand  out  conspicu- 
ously two  colleges,  which  should  be  known  and 
honored  in  all  our  churches,  the  Asslut  College  for 
young  men  and  the  Cairo  College  for  young  women. 
The  former  is  a  well-established  Institution,  having 
been  organized  In  1865.  It  has  sent  over  one  hundred 
men  into  the  Christian  ministry,  twenty  into  medicine, 
prepared  numerous  teachers,  and  In  less  degree  stocked 
all  the  professions  and  pursuits.  The  college  occupies 
a  campus  of  eleven  acres  In  one  of  the  choicest  spots  In 
Egypt.  It  is  a  credit  to  Christianity,  a  center  of  mighty 
influence  for  good. 

The  college  for  young  women  at  Cairo  draws  its 
students  from  the  most  Influential  families  of  Cairo 
and  Egypt.  A  large  number  of  them  are  daughters 
of  pashas  and  beys  and  the  most  eminent  men  in  ofli- 
cial  and  social  life.  Both  British  and  Egyptian  officials 
place  a  high  value  upon  this  college,  as  a  contribution 


48 


THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 


MEDITERRANEAN       SEA 


THE  UNITED 
PRE;5BTTER1AN      ''^ 
MISSION  TIELD 
IN  EGYPT 

Population   Our  Share 

^,000, 000 

Number  of  Cities  and 

The  20a  (*)dot3  ^ 
Indicate  Villages  Hola.- 
\n(,  Christian  Services 
The  2.6  7?  Oaot^ 
Indicate  Vi II idges  ythcrc 
Ho  Services  are  held 


to  the  social,  in- 
tellectual, and 
moral  regenera- 
tion of  the  land. 
One  writer 
speaks  of  it  as 
"t  h  e  greatest 
asset  for  the  in- 
troduction and 
dissemination 
of  Christian 
ideals  and  influ- 
ences in  Egypt." 
Already  its 
graduates  are 
reshaping  the 
home  life  of 
this  ancient 
land. 

Dr.  Charles 
R.Watson,  well 
known  in  mis- 
sionary circles 
as  the  secretary 
of  the  United 
Presbyterian 
Board  and  as  a 
speaker  in  con- 
ventions, has 
recently  re- 


THE   UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN    ISIISSION   FIELD 
EGYPT 


IN 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        49 

signed  the  secretaryship  that  he  may  devote  himself, 
as  president,  to  the  building  of  a  union  Christian  uni- 
versity in  Cairo,  an  institution  of  the  highest  grade, 
which  shall  become  the  keystone  to  the  educational 
arch  of  the  Nile  country.  Already  considerable  sums 
have  been  contributed  for  this  purpose.  The  leading 
Mohammedan  university,  if  we  may  so  speak  of  it, 
is  located  at  Cairo,  in  the  famous  El  Azhar  mosque. 
Here  not  less  than  10,000  youths,  gathered  from 
the  whole  Moslem  world,  assemble  each  year  to  study 
the  tenets  of  Islam  in  the  expectation  of  becoming 
teachers  and  preachers  of  the  faith.  It  is  appropriate 
that  in  this  very  city  Christianity  should  establish  a 
seat  of  the  highest  learning.  What  Robert  College  has 
been  to  Turkey  and  the  Balkan  states,  and  what  the 
Syrian  Protestant  College  of  Beirut  has  been  to  Syria, 
this  union  university  should  be  to  the  land  of  the 
Pharaohs. 

There  is  an  excellent  medical  work  at  Tanta,  in  the 
Nile  delta,  and  at  Assiut,  and  of  course  an  extensive 
evangelistic  enterprise  all  up  and  down  the  valley.  A 
boat  is  maintained  on  the  Nile,  in  which  the  mis- 
sionaries live  and  itinerate.  The  figures  in  this  depart- 
ment are  good — a  church  membership  of  13,034,  and 
yearly  additions  of  a  thousand.  In  19 15  the  native 
church  contributed  $42,931  for  the  salaries  of  African 
pastors  and  the  support  of  evangelistic  and  local  church 
work,  not  counting  the  support  of  educational  and 
medical  work.  There  are  214  Sunday-schools,  with 
almost  17,000  pupils. 


50  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

Mr.  George  Innes,  a  Philadelphia  business  man,  who 
recently  visited  Cairo,  sent  this  description  of  one  of 
the  converts  from  Islam.  It  is  prophetic  of  great 
things  to  come. 

"One  of  the  strong  preachers  to  this  crowd  is 
Mikhail  Monsoor.  He  was  an  Azhar  graduate;  sat 
and  rocked  back  and  forth  on  the  floor  for  twelve 
years ;  got  his  diploma  and  struck  out.  He  hadn't  seen 
a  Bible,  but  he  did  know  the  Koran,  and  with  that 
knowledge  he  started  out  to  challenge  Christianity.  He 
went  to  an  Egyptian  Christian  preacher,  a  wise  man, 
wise  with  his  Master's  wisdom,  who  never  enjoined 
arguing,  but  always  prayer  and  witnessing.  He  gave 
Mikhail  a  Bible  and  bade  him  take  it  home,  read  it 
and  pray.  Mikhail  told  me  he  read  it,  was  interested 
but  not  converted  until  he  came  to  read  of  Christ's 
life,  and  when  he  read  that  matchless  and  perfect  life, 
he  saw  for  the  first  time  his  own  imperfect  life,  and, 
no  longer  a  believer  in  Islam,  became  Christ's.  He's 
a  powerful  preacher.  The  teachers  and  students  of 
the  Azhar  flock  to  his  meetings.  Twenty  of  the  sheiks 
of  the  Azhar  University  were  turned  away  to-night; 
couldn't  get  in;  no  room.  For  years  he  has  kept  this 
up,  and  the  continued  hammer  is  making  great  cracks 
in  the  walls  of  Islam  in  Egypt  and  all  the  Moslem 
world." 

Perhaps  no  missionary  leader  is  better  known  than 
Dr.  Samuel  M.  Zwemer,  famous  for  his  Arabian  work, 
his  many  books,  and  his  eloquent  addresses  on  the 
missionary  platform.    Let  us  remember  with  gratitude 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        51 

that  Dr.  Zwemer  is  now  located  at  Cairo,  where  he  is 
chairman  of  the  editorial  committee  of  the  Nile  Mis- 
sion Press.  This  extensive  printing  establishment  and 
Christian  literature  bureau  is  sending  out  an  immense 
quantity  of  leaflets  and  books  calculated  to  win  the 
attention  of  Moslem  readers.  This  agency  should  be 
ranked  with  the  school  and  the  hospital  in  the  solution 
of  Africans  greatest  religious  problem. 

Taking  everything  into  consideration,  we  may  say 
Christianity  has  made  a  splendid  new  start  in  Egypt. 
Side  by  side  with  the  American  workers,  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  of  England  conducts  a  strong  work 
at  Cairo  and  other  centers  in  the  medical,  educational, 
evangelistic,  and  publication  fields.  It  has  a  force  of 
some  twenty-five  persons,  among  whom  Canon  W.  H. 
T.  Gairdner  is  well  known.  Other  English  societies 
at  work  are  the  Egypt  General  Mission  and  the  North 
Africa  Mission.  The  vital  New  Testament  type  of 
our  religion  is  making  itself  felt  up  and  down  the 
Nile  in  a  way  to  give  great  encouragement.  More  than 
that,  the  missionary  enterprise  in  Egypt  must  become 
a  model  for  the  other  sections  of  the  coast. 

The  Door  With  a  Thousand  Dents 

There  remains  the  vast  area  covered  by  Tripoli, 
Tunis,  Algeria,  and  Morocco.  What  has  been  done 
to  reach  the  14,000,000  Moslems  in  these  states?  For 
the  most  part  the  mission  boards  have  fought  shy  of 
this  whole  region.  Mr.  Freese,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  is  attempting  a 


52  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

heroic  work  under  trying  conditions  in  Algeria  and 
Tunis;  and  the  French  Baptists  have  recently  taken 
hold  at  certain  points.  There  are  less  than  200  mis- 
sionaries, all  told,  in  this  section  of  Africa;  but  no 
North  African  church  has  been  formed  and  no  sta- 
tistics are  given  out.  Practically  we  may  regard  it  as 
an  unoccupied  field,  a  challenge  not  taken  up  by  the 
church. 

There  is  one  bright  spot,  however,  which  we  are 
thankful  to  mention.  On  one  of  the  narrow,  dark 
streets  in  Algiers  is  a  house  whose  front  has  been  bat- 
tered by  many  a  stone.  The  door  alone  is  said  to  con- 
tain a  thousand  dents.  This  is  the  home  of  Miss  Lilias 
Trotter,  a  heroine,  if  God  ever  made  one.  Here  she 
lives  and  here  she  manages  the  work  of  the  "Algerian 
Band,"  an  organization  which  she  established  in  1888, 
and  which  she  has  supported  by  her  own  efforts,  aided 
by  friends  in  England  and  America.  The  dents  in 
the  door  are  the  contributions  of  the  natives,  little 
marks  of  attention  which  rabble  mobs  have  bestowed 
upon  her.  No  wonder  she  calls  her  home  her  *'battle- 
field."  Her  specialty  is  Arab  boys,  whom  she  gathers 
into  schools  at  Algiers  and  in  some  eight  other  places, 
although,  of  course,  she  does  not  overlook  the  girls 
and  adult  Moslems. 

Miss  Trotter  is  winning  out.  The  stones  do  not  fly 
quite  so  frequently  as  of  yore,  neighbors  are  becom- 
ing friendly,  her  children  are  growing  up  into  fine  men 
and  women,  hopeful  converts  are  being  made.  So  she 
works  on  with  her  little  band  of  helpers,  in  the  midst 


MOHAMMEDAN    STRONGHOLDS        53 

of  the  filth,  disease,  ignorance,  bigotry,  and  violence 
of  the  Algerian  coast  towns.  She  is  a  woman  of 
literary  gifts,  rare  artistic  ability,  undaunted  courage, 
unlimited  common  sense,  and  a  faith  like  an  apostle's. 
Miss  Trotter  was  the  favorite  pupil  of  John  Ruskin. 
When  she  went  to  Africa,  Ruskin  remarked  to  a 
friend,  'T  have  lost  the  one  pupil  I  had  of  real  talent. 
She  has  decided  to  throw  away  her  life  teaching 
Arabs." 

Sobering  Considerations 

As  we  leave  this  section  of  the  continent,  let  us  re- 
mind ourselves  of  the  stupendousness  of  the  task.  This 
is  the  stronghold  of  Mohammedanism.  This  is  where 
ancient  Christianity  made  a  frightful  mess  of  things. 
This  is  where  modern,  evangelical  Christianity  has 
barely  begun  to  work.  We  are  not  likely  to  overstate 
the  difficulties.  Certainly  the  workers  on  the  ground 
are  not.  As  President  R.  S.  McClenahan,  of  Assiut 
College,  once  put  it,  "We  are  asking  the  proudest  man 
in  the  world  (the  Moslem)  to  accept  a  religion  which 
he  hates  from  a  man  whom  he  despises.'*  We  must 
remember  that,  with  rare  exceptions,  Moslems  have 
never  been  brought  into  contact  with  vital  Christianity. 
The  Christianity  which  makes  love  its  central  truth 
and  motive  is  unknown  to  them.  Their  idea  of  the 
religion  which  we  offer  is  gained  from  the  violence 
of  the  crusaders,  from  the  quarreling  churches  of 
North  Africa,  from  the  decadent  oriental  churches  of 
to-day.    What  a  difference  there  might  have  been  to 


54 


THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 


the  world  if  Mohammed  himself  had  ever  come  into 
contact  with  one  genuine  Christian ! 

Remember  also  the  resisting  power  of  Islam.  Re- 
member the  dents  in  Miss  Trotter's  door.  To  this  day 
Morocco  has  the  death  penalty  for  those  who  are  con- 
verted from  Islam  to  Christianity.  With  these  things 
in  mind,  think  of  yourself  in  the  position  of  a  North 
African  missionary.  Can  you  imagine  a  more  difficult 
task?  As  a  Christian,  what  is  your  attitude  toward 
this  part  of  the  world?  What  strategy  on  the  part  of 
the  churches  do  you  advocate?  The  globe-trotter  re- 
turns from  North  Africa  and  nonchalantly  remarks, 
"Christianity  will  never  take  this  stronghold  of  Islam." 
Shall  we  accept  his  verdict? 


"  In  tKe^"wiUe.rne;S3  ^liall  'vvate473  Lreak  out 


g^tlnt^^f^^/- and  streams  in  ihe^  cloge>rt ' 


MOHAMMEDANISM  ON  THE  MARCH 


ALGERIAN  BOYS 


Ill 

MOHAMMEDANISM  ON  THE  MARCH 

The  region  lying  immediately  south  of  the  Sahara, 
some  700  miles  wide,  and  stretching  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Red  Sea,  a  distance  of  4,000  miles,  is 
known  as  the  Sudan.  Since  the  Anglo-French  agree- 
ment of  1904,  the  eastern  section  is  called  the  Egyp- 
tian Sudan,  the  western  section  (apart  from  certain 
maritime  colonies)  is  known  as  the  French  Sudan. 
This  vast  area,  for  the  most  part  fertile  and  arable, 
is  inhabited  by  a  large  number  of  warlike  tribes.  The 
population  is  placed  by  some  authorities  as  high  as 
40,000,000.  The  name  comes  from  an  Arab  word 
meaning  "the  country  of  the  blacks."  We  associate 
this  region  with  the  uprisings  of  the  Mahdi,  who 
claimed  to  be  the  second  Mohammed,  appointed  by 
Allah  for  the  extermination  of  the  infidels ;  the  exploits 
of  Emin  Pasha,  who  was  rescued  in  so  dramatic  a 
fashion  by  Stanley;  the  tragic  death  of  General  Gor- 
don; and  with  the  brilliant  military  achievements 
which  brought  Kitchener  his  fame.  Of  late  the  Sudan 
has  come  into  prominence  in  religious  circles  because 
of  the  rapid  advance  of  Mohammedanism.  Through- 
out this  region  in  recent  years  Mohammedan  "mis- 
sionaries" have  been  exceedingly  active,  annexing  tribe 

57 


58  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

after  tribe,  until  now  by  far  the  larger  part  of  the 
Sudan  has  been  preempted  for  that  faith.  These 
tribes  might  have  been  won  to  Christianity  had  our 
missionaries  been  on  hand  to  present  the  message. 
But  Christianity  was  conspicuously  absent,  while  Islam 
was  on  the  ground  in  the  persons  of  multitudes  of 
traders  on  fire  with  fanatic  zeal.  According  to  Mo- 
hammedan ideas,  every  Moslem  is  a  missionary.  Be 
he  prince  or  slave,  sailor  or  merchant,  wherever  he 
goes  he  is  expected  to  proclaim  his  religion.  In  Africa 
as  in  no  other  part  of  the  world  the  Moslem  approaches 
this  lofty  ideal.  He  is  a  missionary,  not  as  one  sent 
out  by  a  society  or  board,  such  as  we  have  in  Christian 
lands,  but  as  one  impelled  by  zeal  for  the  Prophet 
of  God.  The  fact  that  to-day  the  larger  part  of  the 
Sudan  is  Mohammedan  ground  attests  the  power  of 
a  witnessing  faith. 

In  the  opinion  of  many  missionary  leaders  the  Mo- 
hammedan advance  in  central  Africa  constitutes  the 
greatest  crisis  before  the  Christian  churches  to-day. 
The  World's  Missionary  Conference  at  Edinburgh,  in 
1910,  after  reviewing  the  situation  in  every  land,  called 
particular  attention  to  what  is  going  on  in  the  heart  of 
Africa.  "The  absorption  of  native  races  into  Islam 
is  proceeding  rapidly  and  continuously  in  practically 
all  parts  of  the  continent."  The  conference  at  Luck- 
now,  India,  called  in  191 1  to  consider  exclusively 
Moslem  problems,  issued  definite  suggestions  for  the 
meeting  of  this  crisis.  A  chain  of  mission  stations 
across  Africa  was  proposed  for  the  holding  back  of 


\ 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  59 

the  Moslem  advance,  and  the  mission  boards  were 
called  upon  to  unite  their  efforts  in  such  a  movement. 
Immediate,  concerted  action  they  considered  essential 
if  the  situation  is  to  be  saved.  Other  authorities  might 
be  quoted,  all  urging  the  critical  nature  of  this  Mo- 
hammedan drive.  The  Rev.  William  J.  W.  Roome, 
writing  in  The  International  Review  of  Missions,^ 
maintains  that  the  whole  strategy  of  missions  in  Africa 
should  be  viewed  in  relation  to  Islam.  In  this  chapter 
we  are  to  study  the  facts  of  the  case,  inquire  into  the 
causes,  and  consider  certain  remedies. 

The  Mohammedan  Hinterland 

We  are  to  remember  that  Islam  in  Africa  has  al- 
ways had  its  hinterland.  Hardly  had  the  Arabs  estab- 
lished themselves  in  the  coast  region  before  they  be- 
gan pushing  into  the  interior.  In  the  Sahara  they 
naturally  found  themselves  much  at  home,  and  being 
born  traders  they  were  not  slow  to  press  into  the  popu- 
lated sections  and  annex  the  people,  possibly  800,000 
of  them,  to  their  religion  and  their  civilization.  They 
appear  to  have  introduced  the  camel  into  this  region; 
at  any  rate,  they  soon  opened  up  caravan  routes  from 
the  interior  to  the  various  coast  cities  and  made  large 
use  of  the  Nile  for  reaching  the  eastern  Sudan.  When 
the  Portuguese  navigators  explored  the  east  coast  in 
the  fifteenth  century,  they  found  rich  Arab  cities  along 
the  coast  as  far  south  as  Sofala,  near  the  mouths 

^W.  J.  W.  Roome,  "Strategic  Lines  of  Christian  Missions  in 
Africa,"  The  International  Review  of  Missions,  July,  19 16. 


6o  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

of  the  Zambezi.  These  coast  cities  were  undoubtedly 
built  by  immigrants  from  across  the  Red  Sea.  A 
century  earlier  the  Arabs  had  crossed  the  Sudan  and 
had  established  themselves  in  Kordofan,  Darfur, 
Wadai,  and  other  states.  From  all  these  centers  they 
carried  on  an  extensive  trade  in  the  twin  industries, 
ivory  and  slaves,  which  everywhere  have  brought  such 
wo  to  the  Africans. 

In  the  western  Sudan  the  Moslems  seem  to  have 
made  their  impression  even  before  they  were  estab- 
lished in  the  east.  On  the  upper  waters  of  the  Niger 
there  was  a  remarkable  tribe,  with  a  long  line  of  kings, 
and  maintaining  a  capital,  known  as  the  Songhai.  This 
tribe  was  converted  to  Islam  about  loio.  The  Song- 
hai, in  turn,  converted  the  great  Fula  tribe,  which  oc- 
cupied the  region  south  of  Timbuktu.  This  was  in  the 
twelfth  or  thirteenth  century.  The  Songhai  also  won 
over  the  Mandingos  of  Senegambia  on  the  west  coast. 
The  Fulas,  becoming  aggressive,  invaded  the  region 
to  the  east  of  the  Niger,  subduing  and  converting  the 
Hausa  people,  who,  as  traders,  are  a  mighty  factor  in 
spreading  Islam  to-day.  So  it  went  on,  until  Moham- 
medanism dominated  not  less  than  one  third  of  the 
people  of  the  continent.  All  this  happened  from  900 
to  300  years  ago.  At  the  very  time  when  the  crusaders 
of  Europe  were  endeavoring  to  wrest  the  original  seats 
of  Christianity  from  the  Moslems,  the  Moslems  were 
quietly  taking  possession  of  the  Sudan.  Writers  and 
speakers  who  dwell  upon  the  peril  of  Islam  in  Africa 
often  overlook  this  history  of   unchecked   conquest, 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  6i 

which  runs  back  so  many  centuries.     Islam  is  no  new 
thing  to  the  tribes  north  of  the  Congo. 

The  New  Advance 

The  startHng  thing  in  the  situation  is  the  new  re- 
ligious impetus  which  has  come  to  the  Arabs  and  to 
the  converted  tribes,  as  the  result  of  modern  condi- 
tions. Having  remained  quiescent  for  some  three  cen- 
turies, the  hosts  of  Islam  once  more  are  on  the  march. 
The  remaining  sections  Ox  the  Sudan  are  being  won 
over,  tribe  by  tribe,  and  Mohammedan  missionaries 
are  pressing  southward  into  the  Congo  country  and 
along  the  two  coasts.  Nigeria,  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  populous  sections  of  the  continent,  is  now  two- 
thirds  Mohammedan.  The  Swahili,  the  dominant 
tribe  in  British  East  Africa,  are  becoming  Mohamme- 
dan. The  Swahili,  being  the  artisans  of  East  Africa, 
are  in  great  demand  in  the  interior.  They  carry  their 
religion  wherever  they  go.  In  German  East  Africa 
one  sixth  of  the  population  has  recently  become  Mo- 
hammedan. Even  in  Nyasaland,  below  German  East, 
not  less  than  50,000  natives  have  lately  been  converted 
to  Islam.  To  make  matters  worse  we  are  learning 
now  of  Christian  villages  in  west  Africa  which,  under 
the  pressure  of  Mohammedan  neighbors,  have  deserted 
Christ  and  gone  over  to  the  rival  faith. 

Until  the  facts  were  made  known  at  the  Edinburgh 
Conference,  Christian  people  had  no  idea  of  this  new 
Mohammedan  peril.  They  are  beginning  now  to  real- 
ize that  all  central  Africa  is  threatened,  that  this  is 


62  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

not  a  matter  of  the  neglect  of  the  church  five  hundred 
years  ago,  but  of  the  neglect  of  the  church  to-day. 
The  missionary  movement  of  the  church  had  not  begun 
or  even  been  dreamed  of  when  Islam  won  her  initial 
victories  in  the  Sudan ;  but  this  new  advance  finds  the 
churches  supposedly  girded  for  the  task  of  winning 
the  world.  Surely  we  must  move  quickly  if  we  are 
to  save  the  situation  in  central  Africa. 

How  Islam   Gets  Its  Chance 

I  have  spoken  of  modern  conditions  as  favoring  the 
new  aggression  of  Mohammedanism.  What  are  these 
conditions?  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  suppression 
of  the  African  slave  trade  has  proved  to  be  a  prominent 
factor  in  the  process.  It  is  one  of  the  paradoxes  of 
history  that  the  putting  down  of  the  traffic  in  slaves 
has  worked  for  the  spread  of  the  religion  in  which 
slavery  is  openly  inculcated  and  practised.  What 
would  Livingstone  say,  were  he  alive  to-day,  to  see  the 
very  Arab  traders  he  labored  so  hard  to  suppress  be- 
come the  religious  teachers  of  his  beloved  African 
tribes?  Would  he  regret  what  he  had  done?  Surely 
not.  He  would  probably  say:  "One  reform  at  a 
time.  I  devoted  my  life  to  the  putting  down  of  the 
great  evil  of  slavery.  Other  evils  have  now  arisen.  It 
is  for  you  to  attend  to  these." 

What  happened  was  this.  The  Arab  traders,  driven 
from  their  nefarious  traffic,  turned  to  general  trade  as 
a  substitute.  They  became  importers  of  guns,  gun- 
powder, cloth,  tools,  anything  the  African  desired,  re- 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  63 

ceiving  ivory,  rubber,  ostrich  feathers,  and  other  prod- 
ucts in  exchange.  This  required  a  reversal  of  attitude 
on  their  part  toward  the  natives.  Since  mutual  trust  is 
the  basis  of  commerce,  the  proud  Arab  sought  the 
friendship  of  the  humble  African.  He  became  very 
condescending.  He  v^as  anxious  to  receive  the  de- 
spised natives  into  the  fellowship  of  his  world-con- 
quering religion.  "Let  us  be  brothers.  We  have 
much  to  offer  you.  We  can  protect  you  from  your 
enemies;  we  can  give  you  standing  among  the  great 
people  of  the  earth;  we  can  teach  you  the  faith  of  the 
one  true  God."  Behold  the  slave-driver  become  a 
missionary!  Can  we  wonder  that  such  arguments 
proved  enticing  to  many  a  native  king?  Moreover, 
the  Arab  has  not  failed  to  keep  his  word.  He  actually 
receives  his  black  brother  into  his  tent,  he  shares  with 
him  his  faith  and  his  civilization.  He  is  not  troubled 
with  race  prejudice.  He  is  a  true  friend  so  long  ar 
the  African  gives  him  the  monopoly  of  friendship 
and  the  privilege  of  trade  which  goes  therewith. 
Other  higher  motives  will  appear  as  we  proceed;  but 
bear  in  mind  that  the  economic  factor  has  a  prominent 
place  in  this  strange  situation. 

A  prime  factor  in  the  Mohammedan  advance  is  the 
attitude  of  the  European  governments  which  now  con- 
trol the  Sudan.  The  battle  of  Omdurman,  in  1898, 
in  which  Lord  Kitchener  shattered  the  power  of  the 
Khalifa,  the  successor  of  the  Mahdi,  marks  the  begin- 
ning of  British  rule  over  the  Egyptian  Sudan.  A  few 
years  later  Great  Britain  and  France  came  to  an  agree- 


64  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

ment  by  which  the  latter  country  should  have  undis- 
puted sway  over  the  western  section  of  the  Sudan. 
Since  then,  England  and  France,  working  in  close  ac- 
cord, have  maintained  law  and  order  throughout  this 
vast  territory.  Tribal  wars,  which  had  hitherto 
abounded,  were  now  suppressed,  and  freedom  of  travel 
and  trade  assured.  This  highly  desirable  end,  how- 
ever, deprived  the  pagan  chiefs  of  their  one  protection 
against  the  aggression  of  the  Mohammedan  rulers. 
What  the  Moslem  chiefs  had  not  been  able  to  achieve 
by  the  power  of  the  sword,  they  now  began  to  accom- 
plish by  peaceful  penetration. 

Had  England  and  France  stopped  at  this  point,  no 
just  complaint  could  be  made;  but  unfortunately  they 
went  a  step  farther  and  practically  became  patrons  of 
the  Mohammedan  faith.  Christian  missionaries  are 
at  liberty  to  settle  and  work  among  the  heathen  tribes, 
and  in  certain  large  centers,  like  Khartum,  but  in 
areas  which  the  government  has  designated  as  Moslem, 
Christian  activity  is  forbidden. 

This  amazing  attitude  on  the  part  of  two  powers 
which  in  other  parts  of  the  world  have  done  so  much 
to  promote  Christian  civilization,  is  defended  on 
the  ground  that  it  will  not  do  to  arouse  the  fanaticism 
of  the  Moslem  chiefs,  without  whose  friendly  help 
it  would  be  impossible  to  maintain  peace  in  that  far- 
off  section  of  the  world.  It  is  the  familiar  argument 
of  political  expediency.  That  the  problem  of  govern- 
ing colonies  in  the  interior  of  a  continent  like  Africa 
is  an  exceedingly  difficult  one  must  be   recognized. 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  65 

Moreover,  we  must  admit  that  Great  Britain  and 
France  have  received  the  reward  of  their  poHcy  in 
the  loyalty  of  the  Mohammedan  tribes  during  the 
European  War,  when  a  revolution  in  the  Sudan  would 
have  been  an  exceedingly  embarrassing  circumstance. 
None  the  less  must  we  deprecate  carrying  the  policy 
of  sympathy  and  toleration  to  the  point  where  the  im- 
pression is  given  that  the  governing  powers  actually 
favor  the  Mohammedan  religion.  As  it  is,  the  Koran 
is  taught  by  Moslems  in  the  government  schools 
throughout  the  Sudan,  while  Gordon  College,  a  state 
institution  at  Khartum,  where  "Christian  Gordon"  laid 
down  his  life,  is  to-day  practically  a  Mohammedan  in- 
stitution. The  Koran  is  taught ;  the  Bible  is  excluded. 
Even  Turkey,  Mohammedan  to  the  core,  tolerates 
Christian  institutions  and  the  use  of  the  Bible  in  the 
schools.  But  in  the  Sudan  we  have  the  spectacle  of 
Christian  England  and  France  refusing  sanction  to 
Christian  people  for  the  extension  of  their  own  faith. 

In  Northern  Nigeria  the  British  authorities  state 
that  the  present  restrictive  policy  toward  Christian 
missions  will  be  removed  when  railroads  and  other  de- 
velopments make  possible  the  better  protection  of  mis- 
sionaries and  other  white  settlers.  This  suggests  a 
phase  of  the  problem  which  in  fairness  we  must  not 
overlook.  Certainly  we  welcome  the  indication  that 
Christianity  is  to  have  a  free  hand  and  a  fair  chance 
some  of  these  days. 

The  present  policy  of  England  and  France  is  the 
more  indefensible  in  that  it  runs  counter  to  experience 


66  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

in  other  parts  of  the  world.  In  the  most  fanatical 
lands,  like  Arabia,  Turkey,  and  northwest  India,  medi- 
cal missions  have  been  allowed  and  have  won  the  favor 
of  the  people.  Should  Christian  physicians  withdraw 
from  these  lands  the  Moslems  themselves  would  rise 
up  and  protest.  It  would  seem  that  only  in  the  Sudan 
must  Mohammedans  be  protected  against  hospitals  and 
other  institutions  which  render  service  in  the  name  of 
Christ. 

It  is  frequently  stated  that  the  head  and  center  of 
the  Mohammedan  advance  is  the  El  Azhar  University 
in  Cairo,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made. 
Tourists  who  see  the  thousands  of  youths  undergoing 
training  in  this  famous  mosque  are  informed  that  one 
of  the  main  objects  of  the  school  is  the  capturing  of 
the  continent  of  Africa  for  Islam.  It  is  explained  that 
the  Moslem  powers^  being  now  practically  excluded 
from  Europe  and  making  little  headway  in  Asia,  are 
turning  to  Africa,  which  they  claim  as  their  peculiar 
field.  The  best  information  does  not  bear  out  this 
contention.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  of  the  El  Azhar 
graduates  go  as  missionaries  to  central  Africa.  Their 
ambition  lies  in  the  direction  of  the  great  mosques 
of  Mohammedan  countries.  Nor  is  there  evidence  that 
from  this  institution  or  other  Islamic  centers  is  there 
an  organized  movement  for  the  conquest  of  Africa= 

Yet  we  may  say  one  section  of  the  Mohammedan 
world  is,  in  a  sense,  organized  for  the  propagation  of 
the  faith,  and  especially  for  the  winning  of  Africa. 
Not  a  little  has  been  heard  in  recent  years  of  the 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  67 

Senussi  of  North  Africa,  and  especially  of  their  ac- 
tivity against  the  French  and  Italians  during  the  Great 
War.  One  hardly  knows  whether  to  speak  of  them  as 
a  tribe  or  as  a  brotherhood.  They  appear  to  be  the 
strongest  of  the  more  than  one  hundred  orders  of 
Islam.  Founded  by  the  Arab  sheik,  Senussi,  in  1835, 
they  have  withdrawn  to  strongholds  in  the  desert 
wastes  of  Tripoli  and  Algeria,  where  they  defy  all 
control.  They  exist  for  the  spread  of  Islam  and  re- 
fuse all  Christian  contacts.  It  is  interesting  to  find 
that  they  are  bitterly  opposed  to  the  Turks,  whom  they 
consider  to  be  usurpers.  The  order  is  strongly  puritan 
in  its  tendencies,  prohibiting  music,  singing,  dancing, 
smoking,  and  coffee-drinking.  It  has  a  rule  that  no 
member  shall  live  in  a  country  governed  by  a  non- 
Mohammedan  power.  The  present  sheik  is  a  remark- 
able man,  and  it  is  in  his  direction  that  we  must  look 
for  the  explanation  of  some  things  which  have  been 
happening  of  late  in  the  Sudan. 

JVhy    the   Mohammedan   Missionary    Wins 

In  addition  to  the  general  considerations  adduced 
above  there  are  certain  special  reasons  why  the  Moslem 
advance  is  making  such  rapid  progress.  First  of  all 
is  the  simplicity  of  the  Mohammedan  creed :  "La- 
ilaha-illa-'llahu ;  Muhammadu-Rasulu-'allah"  (There 
is  no  god  but  God;  Mohammed  is  the  apostle  of  God). 
Five  times  a  day,  wherever  Islam  goes,  the  muezzin 
summons  the  faithful  to  prayer  in  words  substantially 
similar  to  the  creed.     The  fundamentals  of  this  re- 


68  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

ligion  are  few  and  they  are  ingrained  in  the  soul  of 
every  disciple.  It  is  an  easy  faith  to  understand,  an 
exceedingly  easy  one  to  pass  along.  Reduced  to  its 
lowest  terms  the  Mohammedan  message  is  this :  *'We 
have  the  one  true  God;  the  one  true  prophet;  the  one 
true  book;  the  one  true  brotherhood." 

Consider  also  the  passion  in  which  this  faith  is  held. 
Easy-going  Westerners,  who  hold  their  religion  lightly, 
have  little  conception  of  the  intensity  of  the  Moham- 
medan's belief.  He  knows  he  is  right,  and  he  preaches 
his  doctrine  with  a  passion  and  a  dogmatism  which 
is  well-nigh  compelling  to  the  African  mind.  We  read 
of  Kitchener's  victory  over  the  Mahdi  at  Omdurman, 
but  we  forgot  that  ten  thousand  bodies  of  Moslem 
"martyrs"  were  left  on  that  battlefield  as  a  witness 
to  their  faith  in  Islam.  Dr.  John  R.  Mott  tells  how 
he  once  asked  a  little  girl  in  Egypt  if  she  were  a  Mo- 
hammedan. "Yes,"  she  replied,  "thank  God,  I  am  a 
Mohammedan." 

We  are  to  consider,  also,  that  this  religion  of  the 
desert  appeals  to  the  African  because  it  comes  from  a 
man  like  himself.  The  Mohammedan  missionary 
reaches  him  on  his  own  level;  he  is  one  of  his  own 
sort,  not  unlike  him  greatly  in  color;  much  closer  so- 
cially than  the  white-faced  stranger  from  over  the 
seas.  Dr.  Blyden,  a  Baptist  missionary,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing illuminating  description  of  how  Mohammedan 
missionaries  in  the  Sudan  gain  their  foothold : 

"On  a  certain  day  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  ob- 
served a  man,  black  like  themselves,   but  clad   in  a 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  69 

white  garment,  advancing  down  the  main  street.  Sud- 
denly the  stranger  prostrated  himself  and  prayed  to 
Allah.  The  natives  stoned  him  and  he  departed.  In 
a  little  while  he  returned  and  prostrated  himself  as 
before.  This  time  he  was  not  stoned,  but  the  men 
gathered  about  him  with  mockery  and  reviling.  The 
men  spat  upon  him  and  the  women  hurled  insults  and 
abuse.  His  prayer  ended,  the  stranger  went  away  in 
silence,  grave  and  austere,  seemingly  oblivious  to  his 
unsympathetic  surroundings.  For  a  space  he  did  not 
renew  his  visit,  and  in  the  interval  the  people  began 
to  regret  their  rudeness.  The  demeanor  of  the  stranger 
under  trying  circumstances  had  gained  their  respect. 
A  third  time  he  came,  and  with  him  two  boys,  also 
clothed  in  w^hite  garments.  Together  they  knelt 
and  offered  prayer.  The  natives  watched  and  forbore 
to  jeer.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  prayer  a  woman 
came  timidly  forw^ard  and  pushed  her  young  son 
toward  the  holy  man,  then  as  rapidly  retreated.  The 
Moslem  arose,  took  the  boy  by  the  hand,  and,  followed 
by  his  acolytes,  left  the  village  in  silence  as  before. 
When  he  came  again  he  was  accompanied  by  three 
boys,  two  of  them  those  who  had  been  with  him  before, 
the  third  the  woman's  boy,  clad  like  the  rest.  All 
four  fell  upon  their  knees,  the  holy  man  reciting  the 
prayer  in  a  voice  that  spoke  of  triumph  and  success. 
He  never  left  the  town  again,  for  the  people  crowded 
round  him,  beseeching  him  to  teach  their  children.  In 
a  short  time  the  entire  population  of  that  town,  which 
for  three  centuries  had  beaten  back  the  assaults  of 


70  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

would-be  Moslem  converters  by  the  sword,  had  volun- 
tarily embraced  Islam !" 

Add  now,  as  a  clinching  consideration,  the  fact  of 
certain  obvious  advantages  in  the  acceptance  of  Islam. 
It  offers  at  once  to  the  African  tribe  political  stability, 
association  with  other  organized  peoples,  commercial 
activity,  and  a  measure  of  civilization.  To  the  indi- 
vidual African,  should  he  attend  a  government  school, 
the  new  faith  becomes  a  passport  to  government  em- 
ployment. In  certain  sections  only  Mohammedans  are 
hired  by  the  powers  that  be. 

With  so  many  advantages  in  his  favor  can  we 
wonder  that  the  Mohammedan  missionary  is  winning 
his  way?  The  wonder  would  seem  to  be  that  Chris- 
tianity has  any  chance  whatever  in  these  regions. 

Is  Mohammedanism  a  Step   Tozvards  Christianity  ? 

I  was  once  addressing  a  convention  of  American 
negroes  on  the  perils  of  Islam  in  Africa,  when  one  of 
their  prominent  bishops  took  me  aside  and  informed 
me  that  he  considered  it  a  distinct  advantage  for  his 
people  in  Africa  to  be  Islamized,  since  in  that  way 
they  would  become  prepared  for  Christianity  as  the 
final  stage  in  their  progress.  This  accords  with  the 
view  of  some  European  officials  who  have  labored  in 
Africa.  Captain  Orr,  of  Northern  Nigeria,  is  quoted 
as  saying :  ''Even  if  it  be  true  that  Islam  lays  a  dead 
hand  on  a  people  who  have  reached  a  certain  standard 
of  civilization,  it  is  impossible  to  deny  its  quickening 
influence  on  African  races  in  the  backward  state  of 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  71 

evolution.  Among  the  pagan  tribes  of  Northern 
Nigeria  it  is  making  its  converts  every  day,  sweep- 
ing away  drunkenness,  cannibalism,  and  fetishism; 
mosques  and  markets  spring  into  existence,  and  the 
pagan  loses  his  exclusiveness  and  learns  to  mingle  with 
his  fellow  men.  To  the  negro,  Islam  is  not  sterile  or 
Hfeless.  The  dead  hand  is  not  for  him."  Mr.  E.  D. 
Morel,  whose  books  on  the  Congo  atrocities  have  at- 
tracted such  attention,  maintains  that  Africa  will  un- 
doubtedly become  a  Mohammedan  continent,  and  that 
it  is  right  and  good  that  it  should  be  so. 

We  must  admit  that  Islam  brings  certain  immediate 
advantages  to  the  people  of  tropical  Africa.  The 
Mohammedan  convert  stands  up  straighter,  he  holds 
his  head  in  the  air,  he  has  attained  self-respect,  he  has 
put  off  certain  disgusting  practises,  he  has  taken  on  a 
certain  degree  of  civilization, — not  a  few  counts  in 
its  favor.  On  the  other  hand,  Mohammedanism  is 
Mohammedanism.  It  has  had  a  history,  and  from  that 
history  we  know  it  has  blighted  the  life  of  every  na- 
tion coming  under  its  power.  Until  the  story  of 
Morocco,  of  Algeria,  of  Arabia,  of  Turkey  is  wiped 
out,  the  presumption  will  be  strong  against  Islam's 
becoming  a  blessing  in  the  Sudan.  The  taint  lies  too 
deep.  Grant  that  it  favors  reverence,  cleanliness,  and 
temperance;  but  how  about  sensuality,  polygamy,  the 
suppression  of  womanhood ;  the  practise  of  magic ;  the 
darkening  of  the  mind;  the  inculcation  of  hate;  the 
spirit  of  massacre?  It  is  these  offsetting  evils  that 
have  dragged  down  the  population  of  every  Moslem 


72  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

land,  and  they  will  always  drag  them  down.  Central 
Africa  will  be  no  more  of  an  exception  than  North 
Africa  has  been.  If  the  enlightenment  of  the  mind 
has  anything  to  do  with  civilization,  what  hope  is  there 
in  Islam?  Is  it  possible  for  a  religion  of  darkness 
to  become  a  dispenser  of  light  ?  I  once  asked  a  Moslem 
camel  driver  what,  on  the  average,  was  the  life-time 
of  the  camel.  He  replied  in  surprise,  *'How  should  I 
know?  Allah  alone  knows  such  things.  When  Allah 
wants  to  take  a  camel,  he  takes  him.  Why  should  I 
inquire?"  There  you  have  the  Moslem  mind  in  a 
typical  attitude.  To  the  Christian,  what  God  knows 
he  seeks  to  have  his  children  know  and  understand. 
He  is  a  self-revealing  deity.  His  wisdom  is  a  challenge 
to  our  highest  faculties  and  endeavors.  To  the  Mos- 
lem it  is  the  other  way.  Because  God  knows  we  must 
not  know.  Legitimate  inquiry  is  ruled  out ;  the  motive 
for  education  is  suppressed. 

But  theory  aside,  the  facts  are  against  the  conten- 
tion that  Islam  is  a  half-way  house  toward  Chris- 
tianity. Prof.  Starr  of  the  University  of  Chicago, 
who  has  traveled  extensively  in  West  Africa,  even 
denies  the  material  advantages  which  come  with  the 
adoption  of  the  new  faith.  He  says  the  Mohammedan 
towns  are  no  better  than  the  pagan  towns,  and  that 
the  apparent  superiority  of  certain  tribes  who  have 
embraced  Islam  is  due  not  to  their  religion  but  to  their 
inherent  racial  qualities.  However  that  may  be,  it  is 
a  settled  thing  that  Islam  invariably  works  for  the 
degradation  of  African  womanhood.     The  women  of 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  73 

the  African  harems  are  actually  in  worse  plight  than 
when  they  were  in  their  heathen  state.  It  is  demon- 
strated also  that  after  a  few  years  the  native  mind  be- 
comes set  in  the  Mohammedan  mold,  so  that  it  is  vastly 
harder  to  win  him  to  Christianity  than  before  he 
dropped  his  pagan  ways.  If  Christianity  is  the  goal, 
then  conversion  to  Islam  is  a  step  downward,  not  up- 
ward. It  is  doubtful  if  an  instance  can  be  cited  where 
Islam  has  led  to  the  higher  faith.  Any  number  of 
instances  can  be  cited  where  it  has  worked  in  the  op- 
posite direction. 

Back  of  all  these  considerations  is  the  fact,  which 
we  must  not  blink,  that  Mohammedanism  is  by  its  very 
essence  antichristian.  It  seeks  to  blot  out  Christianity, 
not  to  promote  it.  If  we  believe  that  Christ  is  the 
hope  of  the  race  and  that  his  civilization  is  to  prevail 
everywhere,  then  we  cannot  be  too  forward  in  our 
effort  to  save  the  African  tribes,  not  only  from  pagan- 
ism, but  also  from  the  impending  spread  of  this  rival 
faith.  "Those  who  have  found  in  Christ  the  secret 
of  comfort,  strength,  and  moral  victory,  cannot  with- 
hold the  knowledge  of  him  from  the  peoples  of  Africa 
at  a  time  when  they  are  exposed  to  new  and  grave 
dangers  to  their  moral  health  and  social  well-being. 
The  fact  that  paganism  is  doomed  and  must  almost  in- 
evitably give  place  within  the  next  few  decades  either 
to  Islam  or  Christianity  makes  the  task  which  Provi- 
dence has  laid  on  our  generation  of  peculiar  responsi- 
bility and  urgency."  These  words  from  the  Rev.  J.  H. 
Oldham,  secretarv  of  the  Continuation  Committee  of 


74  THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA 

the  Edinburgh  Conference,  would  seem  to  close  the 
debate. 

How  Christianity  Has  Met   the   Challenge 

The  Mohammedan  problem  in  Africa  may  best  be 
considered  in  connection  with  two  zones  of  influence. 
The  first  zone  comprises  the  North  African  states, 
where  the  situation  has  been  set  forth  in  a  former 
chapter.  This  may  be  called  the  zone  of  Moham- 
medan consolidation,  since  throughout  the  coast  strip 
Islam  has  been  in  control  from  the  days  of  the  con- 
quest in  the  seventh  century.  The  southern  boundary 
in  general  follows  the  line  of  political  division  as  found 
on  the  maps.  To  the  south  lies  the  zone  of  Moham- 
medan advance.  Here  it  is  not  so  easy  to  mark  out 
boundaries.  Roughly  speaking,  we  may  say  the 
southern  line  begins  on  the  west  coast  at  the  tenth 
degree  of  north  latitude  and  runs  across  the  continent, 
trending  southward  until  it  crosses  the  equator  and 
reaches  the  Indian  Ocean  at  the  north  border  of  Ger- 
man East.  There  are  pagan  tribes  north  of  this  line 
and  Mohammedan  tribes  or  portions  of  tribes  to  the 
south,  especially  along  the  east  coast;  but  this  division 
serves  our  purpose  for  a  general  view.  The  zone  as 
thus  defined  includes  the  Mohammedan  hinterland  and 
also  the  sections  into  which  Islam  has  pushed  in  recent 
years. 

All  mission  boards  working  within  this  second  zone, 
or  in  proximity  to  its  southern  border,  are  either  en- 
gaged in  stemming  the  Mohammedan  tide  or  acting 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  75 

as  buffers  for  the  rest  of  the  continent.  Throughout 
this  region  a  twofold  purpose  is  in  view :  to  win  the 
pagan  population  to  Christianity,  and  to  hold  back  the 
Mohammedan  advance. 

The  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ,  after  sixty-two  years  of  valiant 
work  in  Sierra  Leone,  now  finds  itself  in  the  forefront 
of  this  struggle  with  Mohammedanism  for  the  mastery 
of  the  pagan  tribes.  The  propaganda  they  encounter 
is  not  that  of  the  simple,  sincere  believer  in  Islam,  but 
of  the  unscrupulous  official  of  the  mosque,  whose  in- 
struments are  intrigue,  lying,  and  intimidation.  The 
high-handed  methods  of  these  men  keep  the  native 
chiefs  in  such  a  state  of  terror  that  some  are  inclined 
to  profess  conversion  as  a  means  of  safety.  The  work 
of  this  board  is  well  established,  with  Freetown  as  a 
base,  and  with  lines  running  into  the  far  interior.  At 
Rotifunk  five  of  their  missionaries  suffered  martyrdom 
in  1898.  At  this  station  to-day  is  located  a  remark- 
able missionary  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Zenora  Griggs, 
who  treats  8,000  cases  a  year  in  her  dispensary.  Secre- 
tary Hough  aptly  describes  her  as  "a  little  woman 
doing  a  big  work."  This  board  conducts  one  of  the 
best  schools  on  the  west  coast  in  Albert  Academy,  at 
Freetown.  In  all,  twenty-four  missionaries  are  main- 
tained on  the  field.  The  founder  of  the  mission,  the 
Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey,  who  went  out  in  1855,  is  still  living. 
Three  quarters  of  the  people  of  Sierra  Leone  are  now 
Mohammedan.  The  Mohammedan  population  of  Free- 
town has  increased  fifty  per  cent,  in  ten  years. 


76  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

All  the  societies  located  on  the  Guinea  coast  and  as 
far  north  as  Senegal  are,  in  a  sense,  involved  in  this 
struggle.  The  American  societies  concerned  are  the 
Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  and  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  The  Episcopalians 
have  been  working  in  Liberia  since  1835,  the  initial 
undertaking  being  in  behalf  of  freed  slaves,  colonized 
from  America.  Bishop  Ferguson  (colored),  who  was 
consecrated  in  1885,  and  who  has  recently  died,  broad- 
ened the  work  so  that  it  has  vital  bearings  upon  the 
one  million  native  people  in  the  interior,  many  of  whom 
are  being  won  to  Mohammedanism.  The  bishop  left  be- 
hind a  remarkable  record  for  fidelity  and  industry.  His 
specialty  was  raising  up  an  African  clergy,  but  he  also 
conducted  forty-five  excellent  schools  scattered  along 
the  coast. 

The  Muhlenberg  Mission  of  the  Lutheran  General 
Synod  began  work  in  Liberia  in  i860,  in  behalf  of 
natives  from  the  Congo  region  who  were  taken  from 
a  slave  ship.  The  Rev.  Morris  Officer  gathered  forty  of 
the  children  into  a  school  which  continues  to  this  day 
and  is  doing  excellent  work.  There  is  a  girls'  board- 
ing institution  at  the  coast  and  eight  schools  are  con- 
ducted in  the  interior.  A  prominent  feature  of  the 
work  is  a  coffee  plantation,  which  serves  as  a  center 
of  industrial  training.  The  Rev.  David  A.  Day  was 
connected  with  the  work  for  twenty-five  years,  until 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  jj 

his  death,  and  at  one  time  he  was  chief  of  one  of  the 
tribes.  This  mission  is  now  turning  toward  the  native 
tribes,  but  along  with  all  other  agencies  in  Liberia,  is 
handicapped  by  the  inefficiency  of  the  government. 

The  Southern  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Board  oc- 
cupies a  position  of  strategic  importance  in  Southern 
Nigeria  among  the  Yoruba  people,  one  of  the  virile 
races  of  Africa.  They  occupy  the  gateway  to  the 
Hausa  states,  where  the  struggle  between  Christianity 
and  Islam  is  focused.  Working  from  four  principal 
centers,  by  means  of  a  well-developed  medical  work, 
industrial  missions,  and  trained  negro  preachers,  their 
task  is  to  win  the  Yoruba  and  fill  them  with  a  mis- 
sionary zeal  in  behalf  of  the  other  tribes.  A  victory 
at  this  point  is  vital  to  success  throughout  the  con- 
tinent. 

The  center  of  this  mighty  struggle  is  Northern 
Nigeria,  where  the  Fula  and  Hausa  tribes  are  en- 
trenched, actively  engaged  in  the  Mohammedan  propa- 
ganda. Here  our  chief  reliance  has  been  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  of  England.  This  is  the  work 
made  famous  by  Samuel  A.  Crowther,  "the  Black 
Bishop,"  he  being  the  first  African  to  be  consecrated 
to  that  office.  There  are  now  in  the  Niger  Mission 
four  bishops,  three  of  them  native.  The  work  of  the 
Niger  delta  is  one  of  the  noteworthy  achievements  of 
modern  missions.  In  Northern  Nigeria  they  have 
seven  stations  well  placed  in  pagan  communities.  Re- 
cently they  have  been  allowed  to  build  a  hospital  in 
Zaria,  a  Hausa  center,  the  Mohammedan  emir  and 


78  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

the  British  governor  consenting.  Captain  Orr  speaks 
of  this  new  venture  as  productive  of  good  results.  We 
may  well  be  thankful  that  a  great  organization  like  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  is  standing  so  nobly  in  the 
breach. 

On  the  extreme  eastern  edge  of  the  Sudan  again  we 
find  the  American  United  Presbyterians  at  work.  Dol- 
eib  Hill  on  the  upper  Nile  and  Nasser,  farther  up  the 
Sobat,  are  their  leading  stations,  where  they  are  seek- 
ing to  win  the  important  Shilluk  tribe.  Hospitals, 
schools,  preaching  places,  and  industrial  training  are 
the  agencies  upon  which  they  depend.  The  natives  are 
of  a  savage  character,  and  the  country  is  infested  with 
wild  beasts.  These  outposts  of  Christianity  call  for  a 
rugged  and  courageous  type  of  missionary.  The  kill- 
ing of  Mr.  Ralph  W.  Tidrick  by  a  lion  illustrates  the 
risks  taken  in  the  Sudan.  A  Shilluk  village  had  com- 
plained of  the  ravages  of  some  lions  which  were  in- 
festing the  neighborhood,  and  Mr.  Tidrick  took  his 
rifles  and  led  a  relief  expedition.  With  a  company  of 
natives,  armed  only  with  spears,  he  attacked  a  band 
of  lions,  killing  one  and  driving  the  others  into  the 
tall  grass.  The  grass  was  then  set  on  fire  and  a  huge 
lion  rose  up  to  see  where  the  fire  was  located.  Mv. 
Tidrick  fired,  and  the  lion  dropped,  but  soon  rose  again 
and  was  struck  by  a  second  bullet,  after  which  he 
did  not  appear.  Shortly  afterwards  a  second  lion  ap- 
peared, and  Mr.  Tidrick  dropped  it  also;  but  it,  too, 
bounded  up  a  second  time,  and  was  hit  again.  With 
the  natives,  Mr.  Tidrick  pushed  into  the  grass.     The 


PROPOSED    LINES  OF   MISSION      STATIONS 


DPiriSflCAST 
ATT2ICA 


^GCCnAN   EAST 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  79 

first  lion  was  found  stone-dead;  the  second  was 
wounded,  but  Mr.  Tidrick,  being  suspicious,  turned  to 
his  gun-carrier  for  a  particular  rifle,  and  at  that  mo- 
ment the  huge  beast  w^as  upon  him.  Before  his  helpers 
could  come  to  the  rescue  with  their  spears,  the  mis- 
sionary was  mauled  beyond  recovery.  By  a  relay  of 
steamers,  they  managed  to  carry  his  mangled  body  to 
the  government  hospital  at  Khartum,  but  fever  set  in, 
and  in  a  few^  days  the  brave  soul  took  its  flight.  By 
such  acts  as  this  the  missionaries  of  the  Sudan  reveal 
to  the  Africans  how  ready  they  are  to  serve  them,  even 
to  the  laying  down  of  life. 

No  account  of  Christian  activities  in  the  Sudan 
would  be  complete  without  a  reference  to  the  excellent 
work  of  the  Sudan  United  Mission  and  Dr.  H.  K.  W. 
Kumm,  its  knight  errant.  This  union  organization 
was  effected  in  1904  for  the  express  purpose  of  check- 
ing the  Mohammedan  advance.  Its  staff  of  fifty-eight 
missionaries  works  from  centers  among  seven  tribes 
in  Northern  Nigeria,  and  from  one  station  on  the 
upper  Nile.  It  is  carrying  on  evangelistic,  educational, 
and  medical  activities  and  is  translating  the  gospel  into 
several  of  the  very  numerous  languages  of  these  pagan 
tribes.  Between  Numan,  the  easternmost  station  of 
this  society  in  Nigeria,  and  Melut  on  the  Nile  is  a 
stretch  of  country  1,500  miles  wide,  with  not  a  mis- 
sionary. Dr.  Kumm  states  that  thirty-five  pagan  tribes 
live  in  this  unoccupied  field,  each  one  an  open  door  of 
opportunity. 

Dr.  William  J.  W.  Roome  has  recently  taken  a  jour- 


8o  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

ney  across  Africa  through  Egypt,  the  Anglo-Eg3^ptian 
Sudan,  and  the  Congo,  for  the  purpose  of  investigating 
the  Mohammedan  advance  movement.  He  found  that 
there  is  grave  danger  of  Islam  capturing  not  only  the 
remaining  tribes  of  the  Sudan,  but  also  those  of  the 
Congo  basin  which  have  not  been  reached  by  Christian 
missions.  He  urges  that  two  lines  of  mission  stations 
should  be  established.  The  first  line  is  practically  the 
one  proposed  at  the  Lucknow  conference,  running 
from  the  upper  Nile  to  Northern  Nigeria,  where  it 
will  join  the  stations  of  the  Church  Missionary  So- 
ciety and  the  Sudan  United  Mission.  The  other  line 
connects  the  mission  stations  of  the  upper  Nile  with 
those  of  the  upper  Congo  and  its  tributaries.  Here 
a  comparatively  small  gap  is  found,  some  200  miles  in 
length;  but  if  this  should  be  filled  it  would  form  a  wall 
of  Christian  influence  through  the  very  heart  of  the 
continent.  Those  who  are  interested  in  the  strategy 
of  African  missionary  work  should  study  Mr.  Roome's 
map  with  care. 

In  view  of  what  has  been  disclosed  in  this  chapter, 
is  it  not  plain  that  the  Mohammedan  advance  in  cen- 
tral Africa  constitutes  one  of  the  greatest,  if  not  the 
greatest  issue  before  Christianity  to-day?  Bishop 
Hartzell  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  says,  *The 
importance  and  greatness  of  this  question  to  the  Chris- 
tian churches  in  America  cannot  be  overestimated.  It 
represents  the  largest  world  missionary  problem  con- 
fronting the  whole  church  at  the  beginning  of  the 
twentieth  century.    By  common  consent,  the  most  im- 


ISLAM  ON  THE  MARCH  8i 

mediate  and  insistent  duty  of  the  churches  of  Christ 
is  to  give  the  gospel  to  Africa's  millions,  thus  saving 
them  from  the  Moslem  faith  and  the  continent  for 
Christ." 

What  Mohammedan  Africa  needs  is  a  new  crusade 
— of  love.  In  the  middle  ages  the  Christian  nations 
of  Europe  were  possessed  by  the  idea  that  they  must 
drive  out  the  Moslems  and  recover  the  sacred  seats  of 
their  religion  by  the  power  of  the  sword.  In  this  they 
miserably  failed,  as  they  deserved  to  do.  They  under- 
stood neither  the  spirit  nor  the  power  of  Christ.  If 
we  are  to  win  to-day,  it  must  be  by  an  effort  to  help 
the  Moslems,  not  annihilate  them,  by  a  crusade  of 
good-will,  appreciation,  of  sympathy,  of  friendly  help, 
in  the  name  of  Christ.  Raymond  Lull,  the  six-hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  whose  death  we  celebrated  in 
191 5,  the  first  missionary  to  the  Moslems,  a  man  who 
sealed  his  devotion  by  a  martyr's  death,  said,  "He 
who  loves  not,  lives  not."  It  would  not  take  a  very 
large  army  of  persons,  living  and  working  in  the  spirit 
of  Lull,  to  win  Africa's  Moslems  to  Christ. 


STRONGHOLDS  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


IV 
STRONGHOLDS    OF    CHRISTIANITY 

If  North  Africa  is  the  stronghold  of  Mohammedan- 
ism, we  may  claim  that  South  Africa  is  the  stronghold 
of  Christianity.  If  the  Sudan  may  be  considered  a 
zone  of  Mohammedan  advance,  then,  with  equal  pro- 
priety, we  may  say  that  central  Africa  is  a  zone  of 
Christian  advance.  In  this  way  the  outstanding  fea- 
tures of  the  continent,  religiously  considered,  can  be 
kept  easily  in  mind.  In  no  other  part  of  the  world 
is  the  situation  so  clearly  defined.  The  Zambezi  River, 
which  in  its  lower  course  runs  east  and  west,  forms  the 
dividing  line  between  central  Africa  and  what  is  called 
South  Africa,  or  the  "subcontinent.''  This  line  is  ap- 
proximately 15  degrees  south  latitude,  which  is  also  the 
latitude  of  the  northern  boundary  of  the  territory 
designated,  prior  to  the  European  War,  as  German 
Southwest  Africa.  All  south  of  this  line  we  will  call 
the  zone  of  Christian  consolidation.  All  north,  as 
far  as  the  Sudan,  we  will  call  the  zone  of  Christian  ad- 
vance. Africa  thus  presents  the  spectacle  of  two 
missionary  armies  advancing  for  the  conquest  of  the 
continent,  the  Mohammedan  army  from  the  north  and 
the  Christian  army  from  the  south.  These  four  zones 
are  useful,  also,  as  indicating  in  a  rough  way  the  popu- 

85 


86 


THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 


>< 


r*! 


XOKC   OF   MOnAnplEDAN  ADVA^Ct 


ZONE/or  CHClSriAN 
^DVAIMCtl 


U-... 


1. 


Zone  oFcnDoriAN 

C0NSOHDAT1ON 


ZONES  OF  MOHAMMEDAN  AND  CHRISTIAN  PROGRESS 


lation  areas  of  Africa ;  the  Libyans  and  Arabs  in  zones 
I  and  2,  the  negroes  in  zones  2  and  3,  and  the  Bantus 
in  zones  3  and  4. 

There  are  those  who  fear  that  Mohammedanism 
will  spread  throughout  Africa,  even  down  to  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  They  point  out  that  settlements  of 
Moslems  are  to  be  found  in  Cape  Town,  and  in  the  port 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  87 

cities  of  the  eastern  coast,  and  that  these  groups  are 
growing  stronger  from  year  to  year.  I  cannot  share 
in  their  apprehension.  It  is  inconceivable  to  me  that 
Mohammedanism  can  penetrate  below  the  Zambezi 
River  in  sufficient  force  to  affect  the  religious  situation 
in  a  serious  way.  Even  if  the  churches  should  not 
become  aroused  sufficiently  to  hold  the  advance  in 
the  lake  region  and  the  Congo  basin,  the  Christian 
forces  would  seem  to  be  sufficiently  entrenched  in 
South  Africa  to  assure,  at  least,  that  the  native  tribes 
shall  not  become  Mohammedan.  Whether  they  be- 
come Christian  or  not  is  another  question.  The  Mos- 
lems of  the  coast  are  not  of  the  aggressive,  fanatical 
type;  they  are  content  to  live  and  let  live  so  long  as 
they  are  allowed  freedom  of  trade.  Not  a  few  of  them 
are  friendly  toward  their  Christian  neighbors.  More- 
over, South  Africa  is  as  much  a  white  man's  country 
as  the  Sudan  is  a  brown  man's  country.  Settled  by 
the  Dutch  in  1652,  and  taken  over  through  various 
stages  by  the  British  and  Germans,  the  subcontinent 
is  definitely  organized  on  the  European  basis,  with 
Christianity  well  to  the  front.  The  struggle  in  South 
Africa  is  clearly  between  Christianity  and  paganism. 

The    Natives   and    Their   Religion 

And  what  paganism!  Recently  a  distinguished 
American  college  president,  who  considers  himself  an 
expert  on  ethnology,  was  addressing  a  body  of  Chris- 
tian people  in  the  city  of  Hartford.  He  pictured  the 
life  of  the  native  Africans  in  almost  idyllic  phrase- 


88  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

ology.  He  deplored  teaching  them  to  wear  clothes, 
which  gave  them  new  diseases,  especially  the  disease 
of  false  shame,  and  cumbersome  conventionalities.  He 
also  deprecated  leading  them  away  from  a  religion 
which  was  sufficient  for  their  level  of  culture,  and  a 
system  of  education  which  would  separate  them  from 
their  primitive,  simple,  and  innocent  relations  with 
nature.  A  considerable  tract  of  African  territory 
ought  to  be  set  apart  where  one  or  more  of  these  tribes 
should  be  left  alone  to  live  as  they  have  always  lived. 
All  this  sounded  very  wise  and  plausible.  But  there 
happened  to  be  sitting  in  the  audience  President  Wil- 
liam Douglas  Mackenzie  of  the  Hartford  Theological 
Seminary,  who  was  born  in  South  Africa,  his  father 
being  the  famous  John  Mackenzie  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society.  President  Mackenzie,  being  called 
upon  to  speak,  thanked  the  lecturer  for  an  entertain- 
ing evening,  and  then  proceeded  to  portray  some  of  the 
conditions  of  African  life,  which  he  had  learned  at 
first  hand,  and  which  illumined  considerably  the  state- 
ments as  to  the  simplicity,  innocence,  and  universal 
gentleness  of  the  natives.  The  idea  of  setting  apart  a 
tract  for  the  perpetuation  of  native  customs  reminded 
President  Mackenzie  of  Cecil  Rhodes'  scheme  for 
maintaining  a  large  section  of  Rhodesia  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  wild  animals  of  Africa.  The  coincidence 
of  ideas  appealed  to  him  as  peculiarly  amusing.  The 
impression  which  was  left  upon  the  audience  by  the 
two  speakers  may  be  imagined.  As  one  person  who 
was  present  put  it,  *T  feel  pretty  sure  that  Dr. 


ZULU  CHIEF  AND  HEADMEN 


A  SMELLER-OUT  WOMAN 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  89 

will  probably  not  give  that  particular  part  of  his  lec- 
ture again,  or  at  any  rate,  that  he  will  try  to  make  sure 
beforehand  that  no  innocent  'native'  African  is  in  the 
audience." 

It  is  not  stated  just  what  customs  President  Mac- 
kenzie cited  in  defense  of  his  position,  but  for  anyone 
who  has  traveled  in  South  Africa  it  is  not  difficult  to 
imagine.  Possibly  he  referred  to  the  practise  of  eat- 
ing one's  foe  in  order  to  obtain  his  bravery  and 
strength,  or  the  custom  of  making  "medicine"  of  parts 
of  the  human  body,  the  same  being  administered  to 
the  young  braves  before  they  go  into  war.  It  was 
this  latter  superstition  which  led  to  the  Zulu  uprising 
in  1906,  which  spread  terror  throughout  Natal,  and 
in  which  thousands  of  innocent  natives  perished.  I  re- 
call seeing  the  very  spot  where  a  white  man  was 
murdered  in  order  to  make  ''war  medicine,"  and  how 
gruesome  were  the  details  of  the  transaction.  The 
soles  of  the  victim's  feet  were  cut  off,  along  with  cer- 
tain other  parts  of  his  body,  and  of  these  a  decoction 
was  made  which  the  witch-doctor  sprinkled  over  the 
Zulu  warriors.  The  soldiers  were  assured  that  by  this 
means  they  would  be  immune  to  the  white  man's  bul- 
lets, and  that  the  bullets,  as  soon  as  they  struck,  would 
melt  and  run  off  like  water.  Not  less  than  3,000  Zulus 
believed  that  word  and,  armed  only  with  their  short- 
handled  assagais,  they  charged  the  Maxim  guns  of 
the  British.  A  missionary  showed  me  where  their 
bodies  were  left  rotting  in  the  sun. 

Possibly   President   Mackenzie   told   of   those  evil 


90  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

geniuses  of  the  South  African  tribes,  the  witch-doctor 
and  the  smeller-out-woman,  who  used  to  spread  terror 
and  death  among  the  kraals,  until  they  were  sup- 
pressed by  the  British  government.  It  is  interesting 
to  imagine  what  developments  might  occur  in  an  area 
set  apart  for  the  preservation  of  native  life,  with  the 
witch-doctor  roaming  at  his  own  sweet  will.  More 
likely  there  was  reference  to  the  lovely  custom  known 
as  lobolo,  by  which  the  girls  are  sold  by  their  fathers 
to  husbands  at  so  much  per  head.  In  the  old  days 
the  exchange  was  in  cattle — twenty  head  for  a  likely 
maid;  now  it  is  an  equivalent  sum  of  money.  Under 
this  arrangement,  universal  in  the  South  African 
tribes,  marriage  is  a  commercial  transaction,  pure  and 
simple,  and  womanhood  is  rated  as  goods.  The  prac- 
tise, we  can  understand,  is  popular  with  the  fathers; 
but,  who  in  his  senses  would  consider  it  an  idyllic 
state  for  the  girls?  Put  yourself  in  the  place  of  a 
Zulu  maid,  sold,  without  consultation  on  her  part,  to 
an  old  man  who  already  has  eight  wives !  From  lobolo 
has  sprung  a  brood  of  practises  so  revolting  as  to  make 
description  undesirable.  A  condition  of  society  in 
which  the  mothers  instruct  their  daughters  in  im- 
morality can  hardly  be  considered  as  a  state  of  inno- 
cence. 

The  South  African  tribes  have  a  number  of  excel- 
lent traits,  which  the  missionaries  seek  not  only  to 
preserve  but  to  develop.  Their  respect  for  authority, 
their  unswerving  loyalty,  their  bravery,  their  capacity 
for  devotion  mark  them  as  worthy  subjects  for  Chris- 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  91 

tian  culture.  Undoubtedly  there  are  grave  perils  for 
these  children  of  nature  in  the  advent  of  European 
civilization;  this  will  be  made  clear  in  the  following 
chapter.  But  let  us  not  deceive  ourselves  as  to  the 
moral  and  intellectual  degradation  of  the  South  Afri- 
can tribes,  or  as  to  the  need  of  Christian  sympathy  and 
help,  if  they  are  to  be  anything  more  than  savages  and 
pagans.  There  are  those  who  regard  the  condition  of 
certain  tribes  as  beyond  all  hope;  the  early  settlers, 
as  a  rule,  took  this  view;  but,  thank  God,  there  are 
others  who  find  in  these  very  conditions  a  sublime  chal- 
lenge to  faith  and  devotion.  As  we  proceed  it  will 
become  apparent  that  the  optimistic  view  is  not  with- 
out good  historical  foundation. 

The  Demonstration  at  Umvoti 

In  a  trip  which  carried  me  through  important  sec- 
tions of  South  Africa  I  was  much  favored  in  an  early 
experience  which  enabled  me  to  estimate  the  possibili- 
ties and  values  of  the  missionary  work  in  practical 
as  well  as  spiritual  ways.  It  was  at  Umvoti  in  Natal, 
a  station  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions,  where  work  had  been  carried 
on  for  many  years.  A  reception  in  my  honor  had  been 
arranged  in  the  large  stone  church  and,  as  I  approached 
the  building,  I  was  wondering  what  impression  would 
be  made  upon  me  by  a  Christian  congregation  after 
the  scenes  of  pagan  degradation  which  I  had  witnessed 
in  other  parts  of  the  continent.  Entering  by  the  pulpit 
door,  with  a  missionary  who  was  to  act  as  my  inter- 


92  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

preter,  I  found  myself  looking  into  the  faces  of  an 
African  congregation  which  completely  filled  the 
church.  They  were  divided,  the  men  to  the  left  of 
the  center  aisle,  the  women  to  the  right.  All  were 
neatly  clothed,  the  men  with  trousers,  coats,  shirts, 
collars,  and  even  a  few  neckties;  the  women  in  well- 
laundered  calicoes  and  wearing  sunbonnets  of  brilliant 
hues.  There  was  perfect  decorum,  as  in  an  American 
church;  their  faces  indicated  earnestness  and  intelli- 
gence; the  impression  was  of  a  congregation  not  only 
civilized  but  educated  and  prosperous.  To  look  upon 
that  throng  was  in  itself  a  demonstration  of  the  value 
of  missions. 

Finally,  my  eyes  dropped  to  the  seats  immediately 
in  front  of  the  pulpit,  and  there  I  beheld  a  row  of  the 
nakedest,  the  dirtiest,  the  most  unutterable  pagans  I 
had  ever  seen.  They  stretched  from  one  wall  to  the 
other,  the  men  on  the  left,  the  women  on  the  right. 
The  men  were  nude,  save  for  a  bunch  of  monkey-tails 
hung  at  the  loins  and  a  headdress  of  feathers  which 
gave  them  a  peculiarly  weird  appearance.  Each  man 
carried  a  spear.  The  women — how  can  I  make  my 
readers  see  those  women  ?  About  their  shoulders  they 
wore  a  cloth  which  was  saturated  with  red  clay  and 
grease.  Their  hair  was  done  up  also  in  clay  and 
grease  and  hung  in  snake-like  strings  to  the  level  of  the 
tip  of  the  nose.  Their  wild  eyes  peered  out  from 
among  these  strings  like  the  eyes  of  a  French  poodle. 
They  were  all  of  one  color — skin,  clothes,  and  hair. 
They  were  of  the  earth,  earthy.     They  looked  as  if 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  93 

they  had  just  been  created  by  being  pushed  up  through 
the  mud.  I  had  seen  many  savages,  but  none  hke  these. 
While  I  was  wondering  what  brought  these  crea- 
tures into  this  decent  assembly,  the  native  chief  came 
forward  and  made  all  clear.  The  chief  was  garbed 
like  a  city  gentleman,  long  black  coat,  starched  shirt, 
and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  civilization,  with  not  a 
detail  omitted,  even  to  the  necktie  pin.  He  was  a 
Christian  and  a  highly  prosperous  man,  being  the 
owner  of  a  sugar-cane  plantation.  It  seems  he  had 
set  this  scene  for  my  special  benefit.  In  his  Zulu  head 
he  had  thought  out  a  scheme  by  which  this  American 
visitor  should  get  an  idea  of  what  the  missionaries 
had  been  about.  Turning  to  the  row  of  heathen  men 
he  commanded  in  a  loud  voice,  "Stand  up!";  and  up 
they  got,  spears  in  hand,  a  dangerous  looking  bunch. 
Turning  to  the  women,  in  a  still  louder  voice  he  com- 
manded, "Stand  up !" ;  and  up  they  got.  Then  turning 
to  me  he  said,  ''Mfundisi  (teacher),  take  a  good  look 
at  these  people."  And  I  did;  I  took  them  all  in — 
through  more  than  one  of  my  senses.  The  chief  con- 
tinued :  "These  are  heathen,  as  you  see,  just  like  the 
wild  beasts ;  and,  Mfundisi,  we  want  you  to  know  that 
all  of  us  people  [he  waved  his  arm  impressively  across 
the  congregation]  were  once  like  that,  just  like  the 
wild  beasts,  until  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grout  came  among 
us  to  live.  And,  Mfundisi,  we  want  you  to  know  what 
a  great  change  has  come  over  us  Zulus,  and  we  want 
you  to  know  how  grateful  we  are  to  those  who  sent 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grout  and  the  other  missionaries  who 


94  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

have  lived  among  us ;  and,  Mfundisi,  when  you  go  back 
to  your  people  over  the  seas,  we  want  you  to  tell  them 
what  a  change  has  come  over  us  and  how  grateful  we 
are." 

Was  there  ever  a  better  speech  or  demonstration 
made  in  behalf  of  foreign  missions?  There  was  not 
another  word  to  be  said  or  thought  on  the  subject.  It 
was  staring  you  in  the  face.  In  my  response  I  said, 
"Chief,  if  I  could  take  you  and  this  row  of  heathen 
men  and  women  with  me  to  America,  and  could  have 
you  visit  our  churches  in  New  York,  Boston,  Chicago 
and  other  places;  and  if  I  could  have  you  make  this 
same  speech,  I  would  convert  every  last  remaining  un- 
believer in  foreign  missions." 

Beginnings 

South  Africa  is  full  of  just  such  evidences  of  the 
gospel's  power.  They  are  written  all  over  the  land- 
scape, and  the  evidence  of  this  part  of  the  continent 
is  of  peculiar  value  because  this  was  the  place  of  be- 
ginning; the  experiment  has  gone  on  long  enough  to 
warrant  drawing  some  pretty  sure  conclusions.  As 
early  as  1737,  George  Schmidt,  the  devoted  Moravian 
missionary,  began  work  among  the  Hottentots  of  Cape 
Colony,  and  before  he  retired  under  the  compulsion 
of  the  authorities,  he  demonstrated  that  this  race,  one 
of  the  most  degraded  on  earth,  was  susceptible  to  the 
uplifting  influences  of  the  gospel. 

In  1797  the  London  Missionary  Society,  founded 
only  four  years  before,  sent  three  missionaries  to  work 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  95 

among  the  Kafirs  and  Bushmen  of  Cape  Colony.  A 
few  years  later  they  pushed  northward  beyond  the 
Orange  River  and  established  themselves  among  the 
Griquas  and  the  Bechuanas,  where  a  great  work  was 
to  be  performed.  Four  names  should  stand  out  in  our 
minds  in  connection  with  this  mission :  Robert  Moffat, 
one  of  the  great  names  of  missionary  history,  pos- 
sibly the  greatest  missionary  ever  sent  to  Africa,  who 
settled  among  the  Bechuanas  at  Kuruman,  and  under 
whose  leadership  the  moral  life  of  the  tribe  underwent 
a  complete  revolution;  Mrs.  Moffat,  who,  three  years 
before  a  church  had  been  formed,  wrote  to  a  friend 
in  England  who  had  asked  what  useful  thing  she  could 
send  out,  "Send  a  communion  service,  we  shall  need 
it  some  day";  David  Livingstone,  who  married  Mary 
Moffat,  the  daughter,  and  became  the  most  famous  of 
modern  explorers;  and  John  Mackenzie,  already  re- 
ferred to,  who  succeeded  Moffat,  was  the  first  to  urge 
Great  Britain  to  extend  her  protecting  arm  over  the 
vast  region  to  the  north,  now  known  as  Rhodesia,  and 
under  whose  influence  the  famous  African  king  Khama 
was  nurtured  in  Christianity.  What  a  list !  The  lives 
of  these  all  should  be  known  to  the  missionary  student. 
As  early  as  18 16,  the  English  Wesleyans  sent  out 
Barnabas  Shaw,  who  settled  in  the  Namaqua  country, 
not  far  from  the  mouth  of  the  Orange  River.  On  the 
journey,  Shaw  fell  in  with  a  Namaqua  chief  who  was 
on  his  way  to  Cape  Town,  over  400  miles  from  his 
kraal,  to  plead  for  a  teacher  who  "could  instruct  them 
in  the  great  Word."     No  wonder  the  Namaquas  re- 


96  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

ceived  the  word  gladly  and  that  a  great  work  sprang 
up.  From  this  point  the  Wesleyans  spread  until  they 
occupied  many  points  throughout  South  Africa.  They 
now  lead  all  the  missions  in  the  number  of  church- 
members. 

Add  the  fact  that  the  United  Free  Church  of  Scot- 
land began  work  at  Lovedale  in  1824,  and  that  the 
American  Board  sent  its  first  missionaries  to  Natal 
in  1835,  ^^d  it  becomes  clear  what  a  relatively  long 
period  of  missionary  endeavor  we  have  in  this  part  of 
the  continent,  as  the  basis  of  any  judgment  we  may 
form. 

Pioneer  Experiences 

There  were  many  exciting  experiences  connected 
with  the  lives  of  the  South  African  pioneers.  The 
conditions  which  made  the  Boers  one  of  the  hardiest 
races  on  the  earth  contributed  to  build  missionary  fiber 
in  this  section.  The  distances  were  tremendous,  when 
we  consider  that  all  travel  was  by  ox-wagons.  When 
Moffat  went  to  Kuruman,  he  left  Cape  Town  over  600 
miles  behind.  Rivers  like  the  Orange  and  Vaal,  when 
in  high  water,  had  to  be  crossed  by  means  of  rafts. 
Livingstone  and  his  bride,  trekking  north,  nearly  per- 
ished in  a  desert  experience, 

Mid  spectral  lakes  bemocking  thirsty  men, 
And  stalking  pillars  built  of  fiery  sand. 

The  savages  in  those  days  were  exceedingly  savage, 
and  they  kept  on  the  warpath  with  painful  assiduity 
in  their  efforts  to  stave  off  the  coming  of  the  white 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  97 

settlers.  Zulu  chiefs,  like  Chaka,  Dingaan,  and 
Mosilikatse,  laid  waste  large  sections  of  the  subcon- 
tinent, destroying  entire  tribes  and  putting  to  death, 
it  is  estimated,  not  less  than  2,000,000  of  the  native 
population.  In  the  Kafir  War  nearly  every  white  man 
in  a  large  district  was  murdered. 

Then  there  were  the  wild  beasts,  especially  lions, 
leopards,  crocodiles,  and  snakes.  The  prize  snake 
stories  of  the  world  come  from  this  region.  The 
deadly  imamha,  eight  to  ten  feet  in  length  and  as 
large  as  a  man's  arm,  took  a  fancy  to  living  under  the 
floors  of  the  missionaries'  houses.  Not  infrequently 
they  would  come  into  the  houses  and,  lifting  their 
ugly  heads  four  or  five  feet  from  the  floor,  would  dis- 
pute control.  The  rats  would  build  nests  in  the 
thatched  roof,  and  the  snakes  would  go  up  after  the 
rats,  occasionally  dropping  down  on  the  tables  and 
beds  within,  a  habit  which  the  lady  missionaries  re- 
garded as  particularly  objectionable. 

Lion  stories  galore  are  narrated.  One  of  the  best  is 
that  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Lindley,  one  of  the  American 
Board  pioneers  in  the  Transvaal.  On  account  of  the 
native  uprising,  he  was  obliged  to  pack  his  goods 
and  his  family  on  a  cart  and  trek  through  the  veldt 
to  the  coast  at  Natal.  One  day  he  was  followed  by 
a  band  of  four  lions.  Unwilling  to  fire  a  gun  or  build 
a  camp-fire  for  fear  of  revealing  his  whereabouts,  he 
was  in  a  precarious  position.  Should  the  lions  kill 
his  oxen  at  night,  his  escape  would  be  impossible.  This 
is  what  he  did.     Outspanning  in  the  late  afternoon, 


98  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

he  left  the  camp  in  charge  of  his  wife,  and  taking  the 
Boer  ox-whip,  with  its  long  lash,  he  went  after  the 
lions.  They  were  watching  operations  from  the  top 
of  a  ridge;  but  when  the  missionary  came  along,  crack- 
ing his  whip,  they  turned  and  walked  solemnly  away. 
Lindley  followed  and,  coming  to  the  crest  of  the  ridge, 
was  surprised  to  see  the  lions  far  away  walking  up  the 
ridge  beyond.  Still  pursuing,  he  chased  them  over 
that  ridge,  and  when  he  arrived  at  the  top  he  saw  them 
making  slow  progress  toward  a  third  rise  of  ground. 
The  next  time  he  ran  quickly  to  the  top  of  the  ridge 
and,  peering  over  without  revealing  himself,  he  saw 
the  lions  running  with  the  utmost  speed  toward  the 
next  hill.  He  understood  then  that,  so  long  as  he  was 
in  sight,  those  princely  beasts,  for  the  sake  of  preserv- 
ing their  dignity,  would  not  proceed  faster  than  a 
walk;  but  the  moment  they  had  the  hill  between  them 
and  that  man  with  the  whip,  they  would  break  into 
a  run.    Needless  to  say,  they  did  not  return. 

Great  Successes 

If  one  is  looking  for  missionary  demonstrations. 
South  Africa  furnishes  one  of  the  best  fields  in  the 
world.    Only  three  can  be  mentioned  here. 

In  Basutoland  we  have  an  independent  native  state, 
under  British  protection,  completely  surrounded  by 
the  South  African  Union.  Should  the  Basutos  ever 
come  into  the  Union,  it  would  be  of  their  own  free 
will  and  accord.  Moreover,  we  find  this  to  be  a  state 
of  civilized,  educated,  prosperous,  and,  for  the  most 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  99 

part,  Christianized  people.  Here  is  one  of  the  signal 
successes  of  modern  missions,  and  we  are  to  attribute 
it,  under  God,  to  the  Paris  Society  for  Evangelical 
Missions.  Many  noble  workers  have  conjoined  to 
bring  about  this  result,  among  them  the  famous  Coil- 
lard  of  the  Zambezi,  the  first  part  of  whose  career 
was  spent  in  Basutoland.  The  missionaries  for  many 
years  have  been  the  honored  counselors  of  the  chiefs. 
One  of  them  was  spoken  of  as  "the  uncrowned  king 
of  the  Basutos."  The  Paris  Society  has  been  much 
favored  by  the  fact  that,  under  treaty,  no  white  person 
can  settle  in  Basutoland  without  the  consent  of  the 
native  government.  Thus  they  have  been  free  from 
the  evil-minded  whites  who  have  so  hindered  mission 
work  in  other  sections.  Another  favoring  factor  is 
the  willingness  of  other  boards  to  keep  out  and  leave 
the  field  exclusively  to  this  society. 

The  whole  missionary  world  knows  about  Lovedale 
in  southeastern  Cape  Colony,  and  the  wonderful  in- 
stitution built  up  by  Dr.  James  Stewart.  Stewart  of 
Lovedale  is  a  biography  which  educational  and  es- 
pecially industrial  missionaries  the  world  over  regard 
as  a  classic.  The  United  Free  Church  of  Scotland 
in  all  parts  of  the  world  places  emphasis  upon  educa- 
tion in  order  that  the  native  church  may  have  trained, 
efficient  leaders.  At  Lovedale,  under  Stewart's  di- 
rection, education  has  developed  strongly  on  the  prac- 
tical side.  In  addition  to  normal  and  ministerial 
training,  they  lay  stress  on  carpentry,  masonry,  wagon- 
making,  blacksmithing,  and  printing.     In  these  ways 


loo  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

they  endeavor  to  suit  educational  processes  to  the 
special  conditions  of  native  life.  Their  graduates  are 
found  throughout  South  Africa  and  are  giving  a  good 
account  of  themselves.  Lovedale  is  the  Hampton  of 
South  Africa. 

The  American  Board  work  among  the  Zulus  in 
Natal  and  Zululand  is  noteworthy  because  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  people.  The  Zulus  are  the  most  aggres- 
sive and  warlike  of  the  African  tribes.  Solidly  built 
and  of  more  than  average  height,  they  are  said  to  be 
the  finest  piece  of  muscle  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Their  mentality  is  also  beyond  that  of  the  average 
tribe.  Theologically  we  find  them  reaching  the  high- 
est point  in  African  heathenism.  Their  belief  in 
Unkulunkulu,  ''the  great,  great  One,'*  approaches  the 
idea  of  a  supreme  being.  Under  their  king,  Chaka, 
they  conquered  a  large  part  of  South  Africa  by  means 
of  a  series  of  wars  which  revealed  an  unusual  capacity 
for  organization.  Such  was  the  warlike  character  of 
these  people  that  the  early  colonists  laughed  at  the 
efforts  of  the  American  missionaries.  They  said,  'Tt 
is  impossible  to  convert  the  Zulus." 

What  has  been  the  outcome?  In  a  visit  to  Natal 
in  191 1,  in  connection  with  the  seventy-fifth  anni- 
versary of  this  work,  I  asked  a  company  of  mis- 
sionaries and  Zulu  pastors  to  meet  me  for  an  early 
morning  prayer-meeting  at  the  grave  of  the  first  con- 
vert from  this  race.  She  was  an  old  blind  woman 
named  Bhulosi,  who  came  one  day  to  Dr.  Adams, 
after  he  and  his  colleagues  had  labored  eleven  years 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  loi 

without  a  single  conversion,  and  said,  "I  choose  God." 
Near-by,  so  that  it  was  shown  in  the  same  photograph, 
was  the  grave  of  Dr.  Adams  himself.  Standing  on 
this  spot,  I  asked  the  pastors  how  many  Zulu  church- 
members  there  are  to-day.  They  replied,  "Sixty 
thousand,  sir."  "And  how  many  adherents  have  you, 
children  and  others  who  are  practically  Christians?" 
They  put  their  heads  together  and  estimated  there 
were  at  least  four  adherents  to  each  member.  "That," 
said  I,  "means  300,000  Christian  Zulus  to-day;  and 
here  [pointing  to  the  grave]  is  number  one."  It 
seemed  the  most  fitting  thing  possible  to  close  that 
service  with  the  doxology. 

Other  societies  have  cooperated  with  the  Americans 
in  bringing  about  this  splendid  result ;  the  outcome  be- 
longs to  the  church  universal.  In  this  work  emphasis 
has  been  placed  upon  Zulu  leadership,  both  in  evangel- 
ism and  education.  Every  male  Zulu  Christian  is  ex- 
pected to  preach,  and  some  churches  send  out  twenty 
and  thirty  lay  preachers  every  Sunday.  The  Zulu 
churches  are  self-supporting.  The  British  government, 
seeing  tjie  value  of  the  educational  work,  gives  liberal 
grants  to  the  schools,  in  which  some  5,000  children 
and  youth  are  gathered.  The  educational  scheme 
heads  up  at  Amanzimtote,  where  the  higher  institu- 
tions are  located.  Mrs.  Mary  K.  Edwards,  who  went 
to  Natal  in  1868  under  the  Woman's  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, of  Boston,  the  first  missionary  to  be  sent  by  a 
denominational  woman's  board  in  America,  still  lives 
and  is  active  at  Inanda,  where  she  has  built  up  a 


102  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

boarding  school  for  Zulu  girls  that  is  famed  far  and 
wide. 

The    Unfinished    Task 

I  have  called  South  Africa  the  stronghold  of  Chris- 
tianity; yet  it  would  be  a  grave  mistake  to  think  of 
our  task  there  as  completed.  Take,  as  one  example, 
the  Zulu  work.  The  successes  have  been  noteworthy ; 
yet  to-day  three  quarters  of  this  great  tribe  are  as 
pagan  as  ever.  They  live  in  their  hive-like  huts,  with 
their  superstitions  and  their  pagan  ways  still  upon 
them.  Polygamy  is  the  accepted  thing,  loholo  prevails 
on  every  hand,  and  unspeakable  immoralities  abound. 
A  Herculean  task  remains  if  this  tribe  is  to  be  saved. 
There  are  blocks  of  heathenism  in  other  sections  of 
South  Africa  which  have  not  felt  the  touch  of  Chris- 
tianity. This  is  particularly  true  of  the  "locations," 
or  reserves  set  apart  by  the  government,  where  the 
natives  live  under  conditions  scarcely  better  than 
primitive  paganism. 

We  are  to  remember,  also,  that  the  subcontinent 
includes  vast  regions  outside  of  the  Union.  Southern 
Rhodesia  is  pioneer  territory  to-day.  So  far  as  the 
conditions  and  character  of  the  work  are  concerned, 
Rhodesia  should  be  classed  with  central  Africa,  rather 
than  with  the  subcontinent.  What  was  formerly 
German  Southwest  Africa  covers  an  area  one  and  one 
half  times  that  of  the  German  Empire.  Much  of  this 
region  is  desert,  but  in  the  interior  are  many  native 
tribes  offering  missionary  opportunity.     The  Rhenish 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  103 

and  the  Finnish  Missionary  Societies  have  divided 
this  field  between  them;  but  even  so,  there  are  tribes 
where  no  missionary  work  has  been  attempted. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  continent  is  Portuguese 
East  Africa,  a  region  of  great  fertiHty,  with  a  coast- 
line of  1,400  miles.  One  half  of  this  territory,  that 
lying  south  of  the  Zambezi,  is  included  in  the  South 
African  zone.  Here  is  a  native  population  of  about 
one  million,  for  the  most  part  unreached  by  Christian 
influence.  This  great  region,  lying  in  abysmal  dark- 
ness, is  the  most  important  unoccupied  area  south  of 
the  equator.  Work  in  Portuguese  East  is  rendered 
difficult  on  account  of  the  deadly  climate,  and,  until 
recently,  by  the  hostility  of  the  Portuguese  govern- 
ment. Since  the  republican  regime  began  at  Lisbon, 
missions,  under  proper  auspices  and  conditions,  are  al- 
lowed, not  only  in  the  coast  cities  but  also  in  the 
interior.  Portuguese  East  Africa  to-day  is  one  of  the 
great  unanswered  challenges  of  the  pagan  world. 

Help  From  New   Quarters 

Beyond  question,  it  belongs  to  the  white  churches 
of  the  South  Africa  Union  to  fill  up  the  gaps  between 
the  mission  boards  of  Europe  and  America.  Certainly 
the  reaching  of  the  natives  in  the  "locations"  should  be 
regarded  as  a  home  mission  task.  From  early  days  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Cape  Colony,  which  is -an 
exceedingly  strong  organization,  has  taken  a  certain 
amount  of  interest  in  the  pagan  tribes,  and  not  a  little 
good  work  has  been  done.   It  deserves  the  more  credit 


I04  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

because  of  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  Boers  who  have 
occupied  the  outlying  regions,  and  whose  notion  is  that 
Christianity  "spoils  the  natives."  To-day  Christendom 
rejoices  to  learn  that  the  missionary  spirit  is  taking 
possession  of  this  important  communion,  as  also  of 
the  Wesleyans,  Presbyterians,  Anglicans,  and  other 
churches  of  South  Africa.  Even  the  Boers  are  more 
sympathetic  in  their  attitude.  By  a  strange  provi- 
dence, this  new  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  Boers  arose 
through  the  sending  of  Boer  prisoners  to  India  and 
Ceylon  at  the  time  of  the  Boer  War.  Shut  up  in  the 
prison  camps  of  these  distant  lands,  in  their  homesick 
condition  they  were  visited  by  American  missionaries, 
and  many  of  them  were  brought  to  Christ.  At  the 
same  time  they  came  to  see  the  value  and  beauty  of 
mission  work.  At  the  close  of  the  war  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  these  converts  returned  to  South  Africa  as 
missionary  volunteers,  determined  to  do  for  the 
negroes  what  the  American  missionaries  had  done  for 
the  Hindus.  Does  the  history  of  missions  contain  a 
more  romantic  episode  than  this?  I  recall  stumbling 
upon  a  mission  station  occupied  by  one  of  these  con- 
verted Boer  soldiers,  when  tramping  through  an  ex- 
ceedingly unhealthy  section  of  Mashonaland  in 
Southern  Rhodesia.  It  was  interesting  to  find  this 
lonely  man  in  that  far-away  spot,  reading  the  reports 
of  the  Edinburgh  Conference.  Some  Boer  volunteers 
have  pushed  north  of  the  Zambezi  as  far  as  the  Nyasa 
country.  They  should  make  good  missionaries. 
Christian   people   the   world   over   have   heard   of 


CHRISTIAN  STRONGHOLDS  105 

Andrew  Murray,  who  died  in  191 7  at  his  home  in 
Wellington,  South  Africa,  and  have  read  his  devo- 
tional books.  But  how  many  know  that  Dr.  Murray's 
leading  interest  was  the  evangelization  of  the  pagans 
of  his  continent,  and  that  his  pet  enterprise  was  the 
South  Africa  General  Mission?  This  union  society 
was  founded  in  1889.  It  has  stations  in  Swaziland 
and  in  other  parts  as  far  north  as  the  Congo  country. 
It  does  not  attempt  to  compete  with  the  older  boards 
in  the  matter  of  settled  educational  work;  but  special- 
izing upon  evangelism,  it  is  welcomed  as  a  new  agency 
in  a  very  needy  part  of  the  world. 

Can  the  South  African  church  become  a  missionary 
force  as  her  sister  churches  in  Uganda  and  Cameroun 
are  coming  to  be?  It  might  seem,  after  all  these  years, 
that  the  black  churches  of  Natal,  Basutoland,  and  Cape 
Colony  should  be  sending  out  missionaries  on  their  own 
account  to  the  unreached  tribes  of  the  interior.  If  they 
have  been  something  of  a  disappointment  in  this  re- 
spect, we  must  remember  the  repressive  influences  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected  by  the  European  gov- 
ernments, which,  as  a  rule,  do  not  wish  them  to 
become  aggressive.  We  must  bear  in  mind,  further- 
more, that  the  modern  missionary  movement  is  Chris- 
tianity at  its  noblest,  the  flowering  out  of  Protestant- 
ism after  centuries  of  development.  Should  it  be 
an  occasion  of  surprise  if  churches  only  one  or  two 
generations  out  of  paganism  are  not  yet  ready  to  pour 
themselves  out  in  this  high  service  of  love?  To  these 
considerations  we  must  add  the  fact  that  the  gifts  of 


io6  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

administration,  which  make  for  sound  financial  man- 
agement and  for  wise  direction  of  forces  on  the  for- 
eign field,  are  among  the  rarer  things  of  life.  Possibly 
no  enterprise  calls  for  greater  stability  of  character 
and  for  a  firmer  grasp  upon  the  principles  underlying 
administrative  efficiency  than  the  building  of  a  Chris- 
tian civilization  in  a  pagan  land.  Some  day,  beyond 
doubt,  the  rising  churches  of  the  Dark  Continent  will 
assume  a  worthy  share  of  the  task  of  redeeming 
Africa.  When  that  time  comes,  South  Africa  may  be 
counted  upon  as  a  fresh  base  of  supplies,  a  strong- 
hold from  which  a  new  army  of  Christ  will  march  for 
the  conquest  of  the  regions  beyond. 


AFRICA'S  DEBIT  AND  CREDIT  ACCOUNT 
WITH   CIVILIZATION 


V 

AFRICA'S    DEBIT    AND    CREDIT    ACCOUNT 
WITH    CIVILIZATION 

If  you  wish  to  obtain  a  correct  idea  of  what  Euro- 
pean civiHzation  means  to  Africa,  a  good  way  is  to 
push  into  the  interior  of  some  British  colony  and  spend 
a  day  with  the  magistrate.  It  is  no  hoHday  jaunt.  At 
the  head  of  a  long  line  of  sweating  carriers,  under 
the  blazing  tropical  sun,  you  tramp  for  days  before 
reaching  the  border  of  the  district.  When  at  last  your 
caravan  swings  into  the  government  clearing  you  are 
in  a  state  of  mind  and  body  to  admire  the  pluck  of 
the  man  who,  even  for  the  sake  of  ruling,  is  willing 
to  live  in  so  remote  a  spot. 

The  first  thing  that  strikes  your  attention  is  the  bare- 
ness of  the  grounds  about  the  magistrate's  residence. 
You  take  early  occasion  to  remark:  "Why,  in  a  fer- 
tile region  like  this,  don't  you  have  some  grass  or  at 
least  flowering  shrubs  and  trees  growing  about  your 
house?"  "Well,  don't  you  see?"  the  magistrate  re- 
plies, "we  couldn't  exactly  do  that,  on  account  of  the 
mosquitoes,  these  pesky  Anopheles  which  hide  under 
the  vegetation.  It  is  rather  bad  around  here  in  that 
respect.  All  the  white  men  catch  the  fever  sooner 
or  later,  and  most  of  them  have  to  get  out.    There  were 

109 


no  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

sixteen  of  us  in  the  district  last  year;  only  eight  are 
left  now.  Three  were  ordered  home;  the  others 
waited  a  bit  too  long  and  'black-water'  got  them.  You 
must  have  passed  the  carriers  with  the  grave-stones, 
as  you  came  in — some  very  nice  ones  sent  out  from 
home,  they  tell  me." 

The  British  flag  flies  from  a  rather  crooked  pole  in 
the  center  of  the  clearing,  and  down  the  hillside  you 
see  the  government  house,  where  the  court  is  held.  It 
is  a  simple  affair — the  magistrate  in  his  immaculate 
white  cotton  suit,  sitting  at  a  deal  table,  a  clerk  or 
two,  several  native  aides,  a  white  policeman  in  khaki, 
a  group  of  black  men  waiting  outside.  The  natives 
come  in,  bend  level  with  the  ground,  clap  their  hands 
twice  in  token  of  respect,  and  state  their  case.  Solo- 
mon in  all  his  glory  never  had  more  puzzling  questions 
to  pass  upon.  Here  is  a  father  who  cannot  pay  his 
hut-tax;  he  will  send  his  boy  of  fifteen  to  the  white 
settlement  to  earn  the  money.  He  asks  for  a  permit 
for  the  boy  to  leave  the  district.  Decision:  Request 
refused — boy  too  young  and  untried ;  temptations  too 
great. 

"Next."  Another  father  claps  his  hands;  looks 
anxiously  to  left  and  right.  His  daughter  ran  away 
to  live  a  wild  life  in  a  mining  town.  Will  the  magis- 
trate bring  her  back  ?  Decision :  A  policeman  is  or- 
dered to  investigate  and  report.  If  true,  case  will  be 
taken  up  with  magistrate  of  mining  district.  This 
means  a  seventy-mile  ride  on  horse-back  for  the  police- 
man ;  but  the  father  goes  away  satisfied. 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  iii 

"Next."  A  most  peculiar  matter  is  brought  to  his 
attention  by  a  letter  from  a  missionary.  Nomusa  mar- 
ried a  widower  having  several  sons.  Her  husband 
died.  For  several  years  she  worked  to  support  herself 
and  children,  never  failing  also  to  give  her  share  to 
the  local  church.  In  time  she  became  engaged  to 
marry  again.  But  her  eldest  stepson,  a  boy  in  his 
teens,  is  her  owner,  and  he  has  been  lost  sight  of 
for  several  years  and  is  not  to  be  found.  Yet  he 
it  is  who  must  agree  on  the  number  of  cattle  as 
the  marriage  price  of  his  mother!  No  relative  can 
be  found  to  act  in  his  place,  it  being  feared  that  the 
boy  may  return  and  take  exception  to  the  marriage 
bargain.  Hence,  the  wedding  cannot  take  place.  Will 
the  magistrate  legalize  the  marriage?  This  he  does, 
by  consenting  to  act  as  trustee  for  the  stepson,  author- 
izing the  marriage,  and  holding  the  dowry  (money 
in  Heu  of  cattle). 

So  it  runs  all  the  morning.  Mounted  police  arrive 
to  report  upon  the  patrolling  of  wide  areas;  native 
chiefs  call  to  turn  in  the  tax  money  they  have  col- 
lected ;  a  village  headman  reports  the  ravages  of  lions ; 
the  telephone  jingles  from  the  far-away  railroad 
center,  announcing  the  leaving  of  carriers  with  sup- 
plies, or  the  departure  of  the  weekly  post.  It  is  a  busy 
and  highly  useful  life  lived  by  this  lonely  Englishman 
in  the  clearing.  He  is  a  chief  and  a  father,  and,  we 
are  inclined  to  add,  a  missionary,  all  rolled  into  one. 
Naturally  there  are  some  of  a  different  stamp;  but, 
taking  them  all  in  all,  they  are  a  fine  set  of  men.    For 


112  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

one  I  say,  "Hats  off  to  the  British  magistrates  in  the 
heart  of  Africa/* 

We  are  going  to  take  a  square  look  at  this  matter 
of  European  rule.  It  is  a  complicated  problem,  and 
many  things  have  been  said  on  both  sides;  but  there 
can  be  no  question  as  to  the  place  of  responsibility. 
The  responsibility  lies  at  the  door  of  the  nations  which 
have  deprived  the  Africans  of  their  land.  The 
scramble  for  Africa,  which  began  with  the  opening 
up  of  the  Congo  basin  by  Stanley  and  the  entering 
in  of  Germany  in  1884,  came  to  an  end  with  the 
passing  of  Morocco  to  France  in  1912.  Of  the  black 
man's  Africa  there  remain  now  only  Abyssinia  on  the 
east  and  little  Liberia  on  the  west.  War  may  change 
the  alignment  of  territory,  and  adjustments  may  be 
made  from  time  to  time  by  treaty;  but  nothing  points 
to  the  return  of  the  Africans  into  control  in  any  part 
of  the  continent.  Europe  is  in  possession  and  must 
give  an  account  of  herself. 

The  question  is  not  whether  Europe  had  a  right  to 
carve  up  Africa ;  but,  whether,  having  done  so,  Europe 
has  made  a  right  use  of  her  privileges.  We  will  grant 
as  a  general  principle  that  it  is  for  the  good  of  the 
world  that  large  sections  of  the  earth  should  not  be 
left  in  barbarism;  that  no  race  can  be  said  to  have  a 
right  to  territory  which  it  is  unable  to  use  or  which 
it  uses  in  such  a  way  as  to  prove  a  detriment  to  man- 
kind. It  was  in  accordance  with  this  principle  that  our 
own  continent  was  colonized  by  Europe  in  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries  and  the  Indians  made 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  113 

to  give  way.  But,  alongside  of  that  principle,  let  us 
insist  upon  another.  In  taking  over  the  territory  of 
barbarians,  civilized  nations  are  bound  to  give  proper 
compensation;  to  make  adequate  provision  for  the 
preservation  of  the  native  race ;  and,  in  general,  to  rule 
in  such  a  way  that  the  natives  shall  share  in  the 
benefits  of  the  new  order.  In  a  word,  Europe  has 
no  business  in  Africa  unless  it  is  for  the  good  of  the 
Africans  as  well  as  for  the  good  of  Europeans.  It 
will  help  us  to  appraise  the  case  for  civilization  if  we 
keep  these  two  principles  in  mind.  In  this  discussion 
we  shall  use  the  word  "civilization"  in  the  sense  in 
which  it  is  used  by  the  men  (and  there  are  a  good 
many  of  them)  who  place  civilization  over  against 
mission  work  as  of  equal  or  greater  benefit,  also  by 
those  who  maintain  that  intellectual  and  practical  cul- 
ture should  precede  missionary  effort,  under  the  theory 
that  the  African  is  incapable  of  appreciating  Chris- 
tianity, until  he  has  been  "civilized."  The  civilization 
we  are  examining  is  the  thing  which  the  European 
powers,  unaided  by  the  churches,  are  trying  to  do  in 
Africa — in  a  word,  secular  civilization.  Let  us  take 
up  the  credit  items  first. 

The  Benefits  of  Civilization 

When  David  Livingstone  journeyed  from  central 
Africa  to  Cape  Colony  to  wed  Mary  Moffat,  he  was 
six  months  trekking  back  to  the  Zambezi  River.  The 
traveler  can  make  the  same  journey  now  on  the  "Zam- 
bezi Express"  in  four  days;  and  instead  of  encounter- 


114  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

ing  all  sorts  of  perils  and  hardships,  as  did  Livingstone 
and  his  bride,  he  can  recline  in  a  sumptuous  compart- 
ment, have  excellent  meals  served  in  a  dining-car,  en- 
joy a  good  bed  at  night,  refresh  himself  with  a 
shower-bath  in  the  morning,  and,  in  general,  have 
solid  comfort  along  every  mile  of  the  way.  I  wonder 
how  many  tourists  who  take  this  "train  de  luxe"  for 
the  purpose  of  visiting  the  Victoria  Falls  stop  to  think 
of  how  much  they  owe  to  the  British  government  for 
making  possible  this  steel  highway  through  the  Afri- 
can jungle.  Think  of  the  cost  of  throwing  that  arch 
across  the  Zambezi  gorge  below  the  Falls!  Yet  that 
is  but  one  item  in  a  colossal  enterprise. 

In  the  Sudan  Great  Britain  has  built  1,500  miles  of 
railway  in  fifteen  years,  not  to  mention  the  inaugura- 
tion of  2,000  miles  of  steamboat  service  and  the 
stringing  of  5,000  miles  of  telegraph  wires.  Germany, 
before  the  war,  planned  to  construct  a  transcontinental 
line  from  her  colony  on  the  east  to  her  colony  on  the 
west.  Already  this  line  has  reached  Lake  Tan- 
ganyika from  the  east.  France,  not  to  be  outdone, 
would  build  a  line  from  Tangier,  opposite  Gibraltar, 
through  Morocco,  over  the  Atlas  Mountains,  across 
the  Sahara  to  Timbuktu  on  the  Niger,  where  connec- 
tions would  be  made  with  a  steamboat  and  railroad 
service  to  the  west  coast.  An  even  more  daring 
French  scheme  is  to  build  a  railroad  from  Algeria  to 
Lake  Chad,  and  thence  eastward  through  the  Sudan, 
across  the  Nile,  emerging  at  some  point  on  the  Indian 
Ocean.    A  group  of  London  financiers  are  building  a 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  115 

line  from  Benguela,  in  Portuguese  West  Africa,  to 
Katanga  in  the  interior,  where  it  will  join  the  Cape- 
to-Cairo  system,  and  tap  the  immense  copper  deposits 
of  the  upper  Congo  basin.  This  means  900  miles  of 
rail  through  the  coast  range  and  across  the  interior 
plateau,  with  little  revenue  in  sight  until  the  last  spike 
is  driven.  The  railroads  of  Africa  are  not  all  dreams. 
Eight  lines  already  penetrate  the  interior  from  the  east 
coast.    The  west  boasts  sixteen  such  lines. 

With  the  railroads  go  government,  law  and  order, 
peace,  agriculture,  business  enterprise,  sanitation. 
Take  the  Nile  valley  as  an  example.  Mr.  Powell,  in 
The  Last  Frontier,  expresses  the  opinion  that  the 
development  of  Egypt  under  Lord  Cromer  is  the  best 
example  of  England's  genius  as  a  colonizing  nation. 
He  begins  his  chapter  on  the  Nile  valley  with  these 
words :  "This  is  the  story  of  how  a  handful  of  white 
men  jerked  a  nation  out  of  the  desert  and  the  depths 
of  despair,  as  though  by  its  collar,  set  it  on  its  feet, 
and  taught  it  to  play  the  game.''^  What  Great  Britain 
has  done  for  the  Nile  region  by  means  of  its  railroads, 
steamboat  lines,  the  Assuan  dam,  irrigation  schemes, 
and,  above  all,  through  the  administration  of  justice, 
presumably  she  intends  to  do  elsewhere.  Read  Captain 
Orr's  book  on  Nigeria,  and  you  will  see  how  a  splen- 
did beginning  has  been  made  in  that  colony.^ 

The  aboHshing  of  tribal  wars  in  practically  every 
part  of  the  continent  is  a  tremendous  gain.    It  is  stated 

*  The  Last  Frontier,  p.  io8. 

*  C.  W.  J,  Orr,  The  Making  of  Northern  Nigeria. 


ii6  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

that  not  less  than  6,000,000  natives  perished  in  the 
campaigns  of  the  Mahdi  and  Khalifa.  To-day  peace 
reigns  in  the  Sudan.  Kitchener  was  ten  years  building 
his  railroads  and  steamboats  and  gathering  his  army 
before  he  commenced  the  Dongola  campaign.  He 
settled  the  issue  in  the  one  battle  of  Omdurman.  Since 
then,  under  the  administration  of  Sir  Reginald  Win- 
gate,  the  Egyptian  Sudan  has  settled  down  to  raising 
cotton  and  cattle,  and  is  to-day  not  only  a  peaceful 
but  a  prosperous  state.  South  Africa,  once  ravaged 
by  the  Zulu  chiefs,  now  has  a  Bantu  population  dou- 
bling every  twenty-five  or  thirty  years.  The  French  and 
Germans  deserve  similar  credit  within  their  spheres 
of  influence. 

Law  and  order — how  much  we  sum  up  under  that 
head  in  our  own  communities!  By  the  use  of  a  little 
imagination  we  can  understand  what  this  may  mean 
in  an  African  village.  Protection  of  life,  security  of 
property,  a  chance  to  work  and  save  and  build  a  happy 
home,  unmolested  by  one's  neighbors  or  by  a  tyrant 
chief — these  are  some  of  its  fruits.  Under  this  item 
VvTC  must  include  the  putting  down  of  certain  revolting 
and  destructive  native  customs,  such  as  slavery,  canni- 
balism, human  sacrifices,  the  strangling  of  twin  babies, 
and  the  criminal  activities  of  the  witch-doctor. 

An  important  consideration  is  the  labor  market 
which  has  been  opened  in  many  parts  of  the  continent. 
The  character  of  the  African  has  suffered  immeasur- 
ably through  the  lack  of  a  proper  incentive  to  work. 
Adolphe  Cureau,   in  his  exceedingly  valuable  book, 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  117 

Savage  Man  in  Central  Africa,  says,  "what  we  are  be- 
ing continually  told  of  the  negro's  idleness  is  sheer 
slander.  He  is  not  in  the  least  idle,  but  simply  unem- 
ployed.'" Samuel  Johnson  said,  "Every  man  is  as  lazy 
as  he  dares  to  be."  With  civilization  there  comes  to 
the  African  the  needed  stimulus  and  also  a  remunera- 
tive opportunity.  Throughout  the  colonies  labor  is  in 
demand  and,  as  a  rule,  good  wages  are  paid. 

Here,  too,  we  must  take  account  of  what  the  Euro- 
pean governments  are  doing  for  education.  Germany 
has  a  particularly  good  record  in  this  matter.  In  the 
Cameroun  and  Togoland,  under  German  control,  the 
school  facilities  surpassed  those  of  the  neighboring 
British  colony,  Nigeria.  The  French  and  British  gov- 
ernments encourage  education  and  make  sizable  appro- 
priations for  this  purpose.  Great  Britain  makes  large 
grants  to  mission  schools  and  in  certain  colonies  has 
practically  placed  education  under  church  control.  A 
university  for  natives  has  recently  been  established  in 
South  Africa. 

If  the  account  stood  at  this  point  the  showing  for 
Europe  would  be  exceedingly  creditable.  But  the  evi- 
dence is  not  all  in. 

What  the  Native  Thinks  About  It 

Strange  to  say,  the  native  does  not  seem  to  appre- 
ciate what  is  being  done  for  him  by  his  rulers.     It  is 
not  that  he  denies  these  things,  but  that  certain  other 
things  occupy  his  mind,  and  bulk  much  larger  than  the 
*  Adolphe  Louis  Cureau,  Savage  Man  in  Central  Africa,  p.  64. 


ii8  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

benefits  of  civilization.  This  is  particularly  true  of 
those  aspects  of  civilization  which  infringe  upon  his 
personal  liberties.  To  begin  with,  the  contemptuous 
attitude  of  the  white  man  is  gall  and  wormwood  to 
his  soul.  He  is  a  human  being  and  he  resents  being 
kicked  around  like  a  dog.  In  many  parts  of  Africa 
the  sjambok  (a  large,  thick  whip  made  of  rhinoceros 
hide)  is  the  badge  of  the  white  man,  and  this  instru- 
ment of  torture  and  relic  of  slavery  he  uses  with  cruel 
and  contemptuous  frequency.  In  some  of  the  cities 
the  natives  are  not  allowed  on  the  sidewalk,  and  along 
all  the  trails  the  natives  flee  in  terror  from  the  white 
traveler  or  hide  in  the  bushes  until  convinced  that  the 
foreigner  is  a  friend,  not  a  foe.  In  every  possible  way 
the  African  is  made  to  feel  his  "inferiority." 

Then  there  is  the  hut-tax.  As  a  rule  a  tax  of  not  less 
than  one  pound  is  placed  on  each  native  hut.  This  seems 
to  him  a  tremendous  sum,  and  in  many  instances  such 
is  the  case.  That  he  resents  the  imposition  only  marks 
him  as  human.  The  Zulu  uprising  in  1906  was  caused 
by  the  British  government's  adding  a  poll-tax  to  the 
hut-tax.  This  was  a  cruel  exaction,  and  the  Zulu  was 
driven  nearly  wild  with  rage.  His  mind  worked  in 
this  way :  "They  have  taxed  my  hut ;  they  have  taxed 
my  cattle ;  they  have  taxed  everything  I  own ;  and  now 
they  are  taxing  my  head.  Well,  let  them  take  my  head. 
I  am  for  war." 

One  day,  when  I  was  passing  through  Gazaland, 
several  native  chiefs  waited  upon  me  with  a  long  string 
of  requests,  at  the  head  of  which  was  the  plea  that 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  119 

I  should  pay  their  taxes,  and  if  I  was  unwilling  to  do 
this,  that  I  should  use  my  influence  to  have  the  taxes 
remitted  by  the  government.  I  saw  this  was  rankling 
in  their  breasts  as  a  great  injustice.  They  were  sur- 
prised enough  to  find  that  I  had  to  pay  a  tax  on  my 
own  hut  in  the  United  States;  and  when  I  told  them 
how  much  I  had  to  pay,  they  clapped  their  hands  over 
their  mouths  and  exclaimed,  *'Wow  V 

Another  galling  restriction  under  which  the  native 
chafes  is  the  limitation  of  travel.  By  all  the  tides  of 
his  blood  he  is  a  hunter  or  a  trader,  yet,  living  in  ''his 
own  land,"  he  finds  himself  shut  up  in  a  district  and 
not  allowed  to  pass  its  borders  without  a  permit,  se- 
cured only  with  difficulty.  It  is  bad  enough  to  be  con- 
sidered merely  a  taxable  commodity,  but  by  this  law  he 
feels  himself  a  slave.  And  slave  he  is  in  those  parts 
of  Africa  where  enforced  labor  prevails.  It  is  true 
the  old  slavery  has  gone,  but  often  an  industrial  slav- 
ery takes  its  place. 

The  case  is  stronger  yet.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
history  of  commerce  may  be  traced  by  the  weeds 
which  have  grown  up  along  its  pathway.  The  history 
of  civilization  in  Africa  may  be  traced  by  the  diseases 
which  spring  up  in  its  track.  The  cattle  pests,  which 
bear  particularly  hard  upon  the  live  stock  of  the  na- 
tives, were  unknown  and  were  restricted  to  certain 
localities  until  the  railroad  and  steamboat  spread  the 
germs  far  and  wide.  The  African  accuses  the  white 
man  of  bringing  these  things,  and  he  names  them  over : 
rinderpest,   tick-fever,   east-coast   fever,   each   one   a 


120  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

terrible  indictment.  The  native  stands  gazing  sadly 
at  his  empty  cattle  kraal.  The  magistrate,  passing  by, 
remarks,  "Build  a  dipping-tank."  The  native  replies, 
"Give  me  back  my  herds." 

To  the  cattle  pests  we  must  add  certain  human  dis- 
orders, like  tuberculosis,  smallpox,  and  the  venereal 
diseases  to  which  the  African  is  peculiarly  susceptible, 
and  which  have  worked  sad  havoc.  When  the  black 
man  brings  in  this  accusation,  what  is  the  white  man 
to  say  ? 

In  South  Africa  the  breaking  down  of  tribal  and 
family  restraints  is  a  serious  thing.  Even  the  white 
settlers  are  beginning  to  recognize  this.  Paganism 
had  its  laws  and  its  sanctions.  Crude  as  these  were, 
they  formed  a  certain  basis  for  society;  they  were 
vastly  better  than  nothing.  European  law  abolishes 
these,  but  is  unable  to  put  anything  effective  in  their 
place.  The  result  is  that  certain  tribes  are  more  im- 
moral than  before  civilization  came. 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  unjust  and  cruel  wars  of 
suppression  in  which  every  European  power  has  en- 
gaged, of  punitive  expeditions  which  have  been  little 
better  than  massacres?  How  about  the  Congo  atroci- 
ties ?  The  things  Europe  has  done  under  this  category 
are  a  disgrace  to  civilization.  They  will  rankle  for 
generations  in  the  African  breast. 

The  land  question  in  the  South  African  Union  is 
so  intricate  that  it  can  barely  be  mentioned;  but  the 
intelligent  African  will  put  it  well  to  the  front.  A 
law  has  been  passed  making  it  a  criminal  offense  to 


Copyright.  Under\v<j.jd  &  Underwood. 

NATIVES  OX   THE  WAY  TO  EXECUTION  FOR  CANNIBALISM 


CARRYING  RUM  INTO  AFRICA 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  121 

sell  or  transfer  land  to  a  native.  The  purpose  is  to 
force  the  natives  on  to  the  ''locations/'  or  native  reser- 
vations, where  paganism  is  rampant,  or  else  to  become 
the  serfs  of  the  white  men.  The  African  is  not  to  have 
a  home  on  his  own  continent !  This  would  appear  to 
be  the  limit  of  white  meanness  and  oppression.  Can 
we  wonder  that  the  educated  natives,  rising  up  in  a 
mighty  protest,  voted  to  send  a  deputation  to  London 
in  the  hope  of  enlisting  the  sympathy  of  Parliament 
and  the  king?  The  wonder  is  that  under  such  rank 
injustice  they  remained  loyal;  that  when,  shortly  after, 
the  Great  War  broke  out,  they  decided  to  hold  their 
grievance  in  abeyance  and  to  enlist  for  the  defense  of 
the  empire.  To-day  thousands  of  these  protesting 
Africans  are  fighting  the  battles  of  white  men  in  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  continent.  Britain  loves  fair  play, 
and  when  peace  comes,  she  cannot  fail  to  restore  these 
loyal  black  subjects  to  their  rights. 

We  have  approached  this  question  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  native  who  thinks.  But  we  must  not  for- 
get the  inert  mass,  unable  to  state  its  case,  or  perhaps 
to  understand  that  it  has  a  case  to  state.  Think 
what  the  tide  of  civilization  means  to  the  untutored 
African.  For  untold  ages  he  has  been  a  child  of  nature, 
living  in  a  wicker  hut,  wearing  only  a  bunch  of  monkey 
skins  or  a  leather  apron  about  his  loins,  eating  the 
fruit  of  the  land,  hunting  the  abundant  game  with  his 
unerring  assagais,  or  raising  a  few  cattle  on  his  na- 
tive hills,  content  to  squat  and  smoke  and  drink  beer, 
undisturbed  and  uninspired  by  the  fierce  competition 


122  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

of  the  world  beyond  his  shores.  Now  that  world  is 
upon  him  with  a  rush.  With  its  railroads,  steamboats, 
plantations,  factories,  mines,  laws,  taxes,  magistrates, 
police,  armies,  Maxim  guns,  gin-shops,  and  prisons, 
civilization  has  descended  upon  the  poor  African  like 
an  avalanche.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  he  sits  among 
his  beer  pots,  half  dazed  and  half  crazed  by  the  situa- 
tion, and  that  the  demand  of  the  white  man  that  he 
go  to  work  and  live  like  a  civilized  being  finds  him 
unable  to  respond?  If  ever  there  was  a  man  deserving 
our  pity  and  our  help  it  is  the  African  of  the  present 
time. 

The  Liquor  Problem 

In  the  liquor  traffic  we  have  an  evil  against  which, 
unfortunately,  the  native  does  not  protest.  It  has  re- 
mained for  Christian  Europe  and  America  to  inveigh 
against  the  ruin  of  Africa  by  the  white  man's  drink. 
No  race  is  so  quickly  and  so  utterly  demoralized  by 
strong  drink  as  the  African.  Self-interest  alone  on 
the  part  of  the  colonial  governments  dictates  that  the 
traffic  be  suppressed.  Yet  a  faltering  course  is  fol- 
lowed. In  the  South  African  Union  there  is  a  law, 
not  well  enforced,  prohibiting  the  sale  of  liquor  to 
natives.  In  Nigeria  the  traffic  is  permitted  under  re- 
strictions. Portugal  rules  out  distilled  beverages,  but 
permits  light  liquors  and  wines.  Colonial  governors 
realize  the  destructive  effects  of  alcohol  upon  native 
character  and  health,  and  would  gladly  be  rid  of  the 
traffic;  but  financial  considerations  stand  in  the  way. 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  123 

In  Southern  Nigeria  the  importation  of  spirits  fur- 
nishes fifty  per  cent,  of  the  revenues.  Rum  pays  a 
duty  of  200  per  cent.,  and  gin  a  duty  of  3(X)  per  cent. ; 
and  yet  these  deadly  Hquors  are  shipped  into  the  coun- 
try in  almost  unbelievable  amounts. 

The  sinning  nations  are  principally  Holland,  Ger- 
many, Great  Britain,  and  the  United  States.  The 
British  Board  of  Trade  reports  that  during  the  year 
ending  in  April,  19 16,  there  were  imported  into  British 
West  Africa  3,815,000  gallons  of  spirits.  During 
1914-15,  from  the  port  of  Boston,  there  were  shipped 
to  the  west  coast  of  Africa  1,571,353  gallons  of  rum. 
There  is  no  pushing  of  this  evil  upon  the  shoulders  of 
Europe.  America  is  too  deeply  involved  for  that.  The 
question  is  often  asked,  "Cannot  something  be  done  to 
stop  the  shipping  of  liquor  from  the  United  States  to 
African  ports?"  Yes;  Congress  could  pass  a  prohibi- 
tory law  on  the  subject;  but  without  international 
action  it  would  be  ineffective,  since  American  vessels 
cannot  be  prevented  from  transshipping  liquor  to 
vessels  of  other  nations.  For  instance,  it  would  be 
easy  and  remunerative  for  American  liquor  merchants 
to  ship  to  Lisbon  or  the  Azores  and  there  transship  in 
Portuguese  bottoms  to  African  ports.  No  American 
law  could  prevent  this  under  present  circumstances. 
What  we  need  is  an  international  agreement  such  as 
prevails  in  respect  to  certain  Pacific  islands  and  the 
Congo  State.  The  urgency  of  this  question  is  such 
that  it  should  engage  the  attention  of  the  American 
government  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.    The  evil 


124  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

is  one  of  colossal  magnitude,   threatening  the  very 
existence  of  the  west  coast  tribes. 

From  the  Black  Man's  Kraal  to  the  White  Man's  City 

It  is  the  old  story  of  the  finding  of  gold;  of  the 
rushing  in  of  eager,  unscrupulous  men;  of  the  spring- 
ing up  of  cities  in  the  wilderness;  of  the  exploiting 
of  the  weak  by  the  strong.  Only,  in  South  Africa, 
we  are  to  add  diamonds  to  gold.  Of  all  the  upheavals 
in  native  conditions  and  life  which  civilization  has 
brought  to  Africa  there  is  none  to  compare  with  this. 
Has  there  ever  been  such  a  landslide  from  the  outer 
world,  such  a  revolution  in  the  life  of  a  quiet  people? 
As  late  as  1885  herds  of  antelope  were  roaming  over 
the  veldt  where  Johannesburg  now  stands.  To-day 
we  find  a  great  modern  city,  with  asphalt  pavements, 
electric  cars,  and  public  buildings  which  would  be  a 
credit  to  Omaha  or  Denver.  Johannesburg  is  the 
center  of  a  mining  district,  known  as  "The  Rand," 
which  is  some  forty  miles  in  length  and  has  a  popula- 
tion of  close  to  500,000.  Forty  per  cent,  of  the  world's 
gold  comes  from  this  region.  The  output  per  month 
runs  as  high  as  $17,000,000. 

With  the  owners  the  problem  is  largely  one  of 
labor — how  to  persuade  the  natives  to  exchange  their 
indolent  village  life  for  the  exacting  service  of  a  min- 
ing compound.  This  difficulty  has  been  overcome  by 
offering  special  inducements  in  the  way  of  good  pay 
and  short  terms  of  service.  Some  300,000  natives  are 
steadily   employed   at   Johannesburg   and    along   the 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  125 

Rand,  and  these  natives  are  gathered  from  every  tribe 
south  of  the  Zambezi,  and  even  from  regions  farther 
away.  Since  they  come  and  go  at  short  intervals,  we 
may  estimate  that  not  less  than  half  a  million  blacks 
each  year  come  under  the  influence  of  this  one  indus- 
trial center. 

Consider  what  this  means  to  the  African  in  the  way 
of  changed  environment  and  exposure  to  the  worst 
evils  of  civilization.  Johannesburg  has  been  called 
"a  university  of  crime,"  and  the  epithet  seems  de- 
served. The  Rev.  Frederick  B.  Bridgman,  a  Hfe-long 
student  of  governmental  and  economic  conditions  in 
South  Africa,  states  the  case  under  the  following 
three  heads : 

"(i)  These  tens  of  thousands  who  are  thrust  into 
the  novel  and  complex  environment  of  a  modern  city 
are  young  men,  sixteen  to  twenty-five  years  old.  Very 
few  are  past  thirty.  (2)  They  are  wholly  removed 
from  family  and  tribal  restraints.  Moreover,  the  new 
conditions  of  life  at  the  gold  fields  appear  to  place 
a  premium  on  unbridled  license.  At  the  mines  the 
natives  are  housed  in  compounds  or  barracks,  where 
from  2,000  to  6,000  males  live  a  segregated  existence. 
Those  engaged  in  the  city  find  living  quarters  as  best 
they  can,  and  this  usually  means  drifting  into  slum 
areas  of  the  worst  type.  (3)  Of  course,  to  such  a 
mining  center  and  frontier  town  as  Johannesburg  there 
inevitably  gravitate  many  of  the  worst  crooks  and 
criminals  of  Europe  and  America.  There  seems  to  be 
no  depth  to  which  low-down  whites  will  not  descend 


126 


THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 


URBAN 


.CAPE  TOWN 


JOHANNESBURG — THE    HUB   OF    SOUTH    AFRICA 

What  Rome  with  its  golden  milestone  was  to  that  ancient  empire, 
Johannesburg  is  to  the  subcontinent  of  Africa,  where  native 
paths,  civilized  highways,  and  railroads  all  converge  on  and 
radiate  from  the  Golden  City.  The  spokes  indicate  districts 
from  which  native  laborers  are  drawn,  and  to  which  they 
eventually  return.  Shall  these  tens  of  thousands  carry  back 
to  their  villages  the  corruption  of  civilization,  or  the  sav- 
ing salt  of  Christianity? 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  127 

in  order  to  separate  the  native  from  his  hard-earned 
cash.  The  result  is  that  we  find  natives  succumbing 
to  drunkenness,  gambHng,  robbery,  murder,  sodomy, 
and  prostitution.  To  the  vices  of  heathenism,  the 
heathen  are  now  adding  the  crimes  of  civiHzation.'* 

To  Johannesburg  we  must  add  Pretoria,  Kimberley, 
Durban,  Cape  Town,  and  various  smaller  cities,  where 
similar  conditions  prevail.  Everywhere  in  South 
Africa  economic  changes  of  a  revolutionary  character 
bear  heavily  upon  native  life.  The  working  out  of 
this  problem  justly,  scientifically  and  in  the  spirit  of 
Christ  will  have  much  to  do  with  the  future  of  the 
African  race. 

Striking  the  Balance 

How,  then,  stands  the  case  for  secular  civilization? 
The  problem  is  a  highly  complicated  one,  because  so 
many  personal  and  social  factors  enter  in.  It  is  not 
a  problem  in  mathematics,  but  in  sociology.  Possibly 
no  two  persons  would  place  the  same  values  upon  the 
various  items  we  have  been  considering;  but  as  to  the 
main  issue  there  should  be  no  divergence  of  judgment. 
Clearly  civiHzation  finds  itself  on  the  wrong  side  of 
the  account :  It  has  brought  more  evil  than  good  to 
the  African.  The  plain  and  ugly  fact  is  that  in  many 
parts  of  Africa  the  natives  would  be  better  off,  physi- 
cally and  morally,  if  European  enterprise  had  never 
come.  The  best  authorities  do  not  differ  on  this  sub- 
ject. There  are  those  who  fear  that  our  so-called 
Christian  civilization  will  make  as  bad  a  mess  of  things 


128  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

in  South  Africa  as  Islam  has  made  in  North  Africa. 
This  is  a  startHng  judgment  for  Christian  nations  to 
consider.  A  prominent  missionary  has  said,  "While 
we  must  balance  the  good  and  evil  effects  of  civiliza- 
tion, yet  for  my  part  i  consider  the  real  peril  to 
Africa,  south  of  the  equator,  to  be  civilization  and 
not  Islam."  Mr.  Gibbons,  in  his  invaluable  book,  The 
New  Map  of  Africa,  remarks:  "Unless  they  [the 
natives]  are  given  the  moral  foundation  upon  which 
to  build,  material  prosperity  that  comes  with  European 
control  is  to  aboriginal  races  certain  destruction — a 
rapid  disappearance  following  deterioration."^ 

When  the  shocking  conditions  and  atrocities  on  the 
part  of  the  French  concessionaries  on  the  Congo  came 
to  light,  the  Comte  de  Brazza  declared  that  he  would 
never  have  explored  this  country  and  brought  it  under 
European  control,  had  he  realized  what  suffering  and 
disaster  European  penetration  was  going  to  bring  to 
the  natives.  M.  de  Brazza  died  on  the  west  coast  of 
Africa,  broken-hearted  through  brooding  over  these 
things.  Great  Britain  bears  strong  testimony  to  the 
evils  of  colonial  civilization  when  she  refuses  to  have 
the  Basutos  and  Bechuanas  come  under  South  African 
control.  She  regards  these  tribes  as  the  wards  of  the 
empire  and  she  declines  to  pass  them  over  to  the  Union, 
realizing  that  they  will  receive  scant  justice  at  the 
hands  of  their  white  neighbors,  should  they  ever  be- 
come integral  parts  of  the  dominion. 


*  Herbert  Adams  Gibbons,  The  New  Map  of  Africa,  p.  210. 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  129 

The  Church  to  the  Rescue 

"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth."  Africa  is  to  be  saved, 
not  by  laws,  but  by  lives.  If  the  church  of  the  living 
God  can  be  planted  and  made  to  flourish  among  the 
Africans,  the  continent  will  be  saved;  not  otherwise. 
What  are  we  to  expect  when  the  only  white  man  with 
whom  the  African  has  practical  dealings  is  the  un- 
scrupulous trader  or  the  brutal  policeman?  What 
ideas  of  our  civilization  are  the  natives  likely  to  re- 
ceive under  such  conditions?  Many  a  negro  mind 
works  in  this  way:  "The  white  men  are  powerful; 
the  white  men  are  wise ;  the  white  men  bring  us  many 
useful  things;  the  white  men  are  also  dishonest  and 
immoral;  I  will  be  like  the  white  men."  This  gospel 
of  the  godless  civilization  is  being  preached  far  and 
wide.  Fortunately  there  are  regions  where  the  natives 
gained  their  first  impressions  from  the  missionary 
and  not  from  the  trader.  Such  a  region  is  Barotseland 
on  the  upper  Zambezi,  where  Livingstone  traveled  ex- 
tensively and  where  Coillard  and  the  French  Protes- 
tant missionaries  settled  in  the  early  days.  The  result 
is  that  the  Barotse,  knowing  civilization  on  its  best 
side,  are  not  likely  to  be  corrupted  by  commercial 
greed.  The  same  may  be  asserted  with  even  stronger 
emphasis  of  Uganda,  where  Christianity  gained  the 
upper  hand  before  the  railroad  appeared. 

It  is  too  late  to  preempt  the  ground  in  many  sections 
of  the  continent,  but  by  a  truly  wonderful  providence 
the  churches  find  a  new  opportunity  in  the  very  situa- 


I30  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

tion  which  is  working  such  havoc  in  the  industrial 
centers.  Never  has  there  been  such  a  chance  to  reach 
the  natives  in  large  numbers  as  in  Johannesburg  and 
Kimberley  to-day.  In  the  old  days  the  missionary 
sought  out  the  natives  in  their  kraals,  often  making 
long  journeys  only  to  find  the  men  absent  on  a  hunt 
or  the  whole  population  engaged  in  beer-drinking. 
At  best  he  could  preach  to  only  a  small  group.  To- 
day the  natives  are  coming  to  the  missionary  by  hun- 
dreds of  thousands.  Johannesburg  spells  opportunity 
in  capital  letters.  Every  African  converted  in  such  a 
center  goes  back,  after  his  six  or  twelve  months  of 
service,  as  a  missionary  to  his  people.  In  this  way 
every  tribe  in  the  subcontinent  and  some  farther  north 
can  be  reached. 

Already  good  work  is  being  done  by  way  of  seizing 
this  opportunity.  The  Anglicans  and  the  Wesleyans 
have  taken  hold  vigorously,  and  a  group  of  Johannes- 
burg business  men,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  A.  W. 
Baker,  have  formed  the  "South  Africa  Compounds 
Mission."  Americans  will  be  especially  interested  in 
the  plans  of  the  Rev.  Frederick  B.  Bridgman,  of  the 
American  Board,  who  has  become  the  apostle  of  a 
movement  centering  in  Johannesburg,  in  which  evan- 
gelism and  social  service  are  to  go  hand  in  hand.  Mr. 
Bridgman  was  born  in  Natal  of  missionary  parents, 
and  he  brings  to  the  Johannesburg  problem  the  re- 
sults of  a  long  and  successful  ministry  for  the  native 
laborers  of  Durban.  His  idea  is  to  establish  a  center 
in  which  the  natives  who  flock  to  the  city  can  find 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  131 

congenial  and  helpful  surroundings  and  where  they 
will  be  brought  under  the  influence  of  Christian  men 
and  women  who  can  help  them  in  every  department 
of  life.  He  would  group  together  the  church,  the 
school-room,  the  lecture-room,  the  amusement  hall, 
and  offices  for  medical  and  legal  advice.  The  staff  will 
include  an  ordained  missionary,  a  medical  missionary, 
a  legal  adviser,  a  physical  and  social  director,  with 
native  helpers.  This  dream  is  likely  to  come  true 
through  the  generous  gift  of  a  New  York  business 
man.  Already  over  fifty  lay  preachers  go  out  every 
Sunday  to  preach  in  the  mining  compounds,  where 
are  congregated  from  1,000  to  6,000  laborers.  Wher- 
ever the  Johannesburg  converts  go  they  carry  the 
Bible  in  the  vernacular  and  tell  of  Christ  to  their  pagan 
neighbors.  Near  Delagoa  Bay,  400  miles  to  the  east, 
seven  chapels  have  been  built  and  hundreds  of  con- 
verts made  by  spontaneous  native  effort.  When  Mr. 
Bridgman  has  his  new  plant,  he  will  be  in  a  position 
to  influence  the  life  of  an  immense  area. 

In  such  ways  the  churches  may  come  to  the  rescue 
and  turn  evil  to  good  account.  We  must  place  before 
us  nothing  less  than  the  task  of  Christianizing  every 
contact  with  African  life  and  enterprise.  The  Rev. 
John  M.  Springer,  the  Methodist  missionary  at 
Katanga,  who  is  face  to  face  with  the  industrial  prob- 
lem in  a  new  center,  and  whose  work  will  be  described 
in  the  next  chapter,  in  his  addresses  at  home  has  been 
emphasizing  that  there  are  three  factors  in  the  African 
problem,  the  church,  the  state,  and  commerce;  that 


132  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

the  church  was  first  on  the  ground  in  the  persons  of 
Livingstone  and  the  early  missionaries;  but  that  in 
many  districts  the  state  and  commerce  are  now  the 
sole  representatives  of  western  ideals  and  life.  He 
argues  with  much  force  that  these  great  human 
agencies  must  be  brought  together  on  a  common  plat- 
form, if  the  African  tribes  are  to  be  saved  from  de- 
moralization. Thus  we  see  how  intimately  reform 
movements  in  government  and  business  at  home  are 
bound  up  with  missionary  endeavor  abroad. 

The  situation  is  not  without  hope.  The  European 
governments  are  learning  many  things,  among  them 
that  missions  are  essential  to  civilization ;  that,  without 
the  Christian  motive  and  the  Christian  morality,  there 
is  little  hope  of  making  the  African  honest  and  re- 
sourceful. Economic  considerations  also  are  leading 
Europe  to  pay  more  regard  to  the  welfare  of  the 
native  people,  without  whom  their  colonies  would  be 
barren  enterprises  indeed.  The  era  of  atrocities  may 
be  said  to  be  passed.  The  liquor  traffic  will  be  brought 
to  an  end  by  governmental  action  one  of  these  days, 
and  the  lesser  evils  are  bound  to  give  way  in  the  process 
of  time.  The  infusion  of  the  Christian  spirit  into  com- 
merce will  be  a  slower  process,  but  even  business 
houses  will  at  times  join  the  ranks  of  the  reformers,  as 
witness  the  suppression  of  slavery  in  Portuguese  West 
Africa,  through  the  action  of  the  chocolate  manufac- 
turers. When  the  Cadburys  and  other  importers  of 
London  learned  that  a  large  part  of  their  cocoa  supply 
came  from  contract  labor  which  was  indistinguish- 


AFRICA  AND  CIVILIZATION  133 

able  from  slavery,  in  the  islands  of  Principe  and  Sao 
Thome,  the  slaves  having  been  brought  from  the 
Angola  mainland,  and  that  Portugal  had  refused  to 
blot  out  this  evil,  they  ordered  that  no  purchases  should 
be  made  from  these  islands  until  slavery  should  be 
abolished.  Certain  firms  in  the  United  States  joined 
this  righteous  boycott,  and  the  result  was  that  Portu- 
gal lost  no  time  in  passing  laws  making  the  recruit- 
ment of  contract  labor  voluntary,  under  restrictions. 
Let  it  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  commerce  that  slavery 
is  now  practically  extinct  in  all  that  region. 

Civilization  in  Africa  will  be  godless  only  in  case 
the  Christian  people  of  Europe  and  America  fail  in 
their  duty.  There  is  not  a  section  of  the  continent 
where  the  situation  could  not  be  saved  by  aggressive 
action  on  the  part  of  state  and  church,  working  in 
harmony.  Selfish  commercialism  can  be  held  in  check, 
justice  administered,  education  promoted,  and  the 
Christian  religion  established  as  the  basis  of  society. 
Only  the  beginnings  have  been  made  in  Africa;  the 
great  work  yet  remains  to  be  done.  Throughout  this 
vast  continent  there  will  be  a  movement  of  civilization 
greater  than  any  we  have  yet  witnessed.  Shall  it  be 
guided  by  Christ  or  by  greed? 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM 


Copyright,  Underwood  &  Underwood. 

KIKUYU  WOMEN,  BRITISH  EAST  AFRICA 


VI 

THE   HEART  OF   PAGANISM 

Considering  the  continent  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  struggle  between  Islam  and  Christianity  we  have 
spoken  of  central  Africa  as  the  "zone  of  Christian 
advance."  From  the  standpoint  of  the  dominant  re- 
ligion, it  might  with  more  propriety  be  called  the  "zone 
of  pagan  supremacy;"  since  in  this  section  we  have 
the  largest  area  of  pagan  barbarism  to  be  found  in 
the  world.  India  is  non-Christian,  for  the  most  part, 
but  India  has  a  civilization  dating  from  very  ancient 
times.  There  is  no  evidence  that  the  natives  of  central 
Africa  have  ever  known  a  state  higher  than  that  they 
now  occupy.  Through  all  the  changes  of  history  they 
have  lived  on  in  virgin  simplicity,  untouched  by  the 
currents  of  the  world's  life.  There  are  approximately 
40,000,000  natives  in  this  zone,  and  whether  we  con- 
sider them  in  the  mass  or  as  individual  human  beings, 
their  appeal  to  the  sympathy  of  the  Christian  world  is 
pathetic  beyond  words  to  express. 

Natural  Features 

Central  Africa  is  tropical  Africa.  The  sun  is  di- 
rectly overhead  and  its  rays  beat  down  in  a  merciless 
and  unremitting  fashion.    Even  where  the  high  eleva- 

137 


138  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

tion  brings  cool  nights  and  occasional  frosts,  the  days 
are  intensely  warm.  Rain  is  abundant  in  its  season, 
and  except  for  a  narrow  strip  on  the  western  coast, 
south  of  the  Congo,  the  region  is  devoid  of  desert. 
This  is  the  country  of  the  mangrove  and  the  palm 
and  all  the  picturesque  features  of  tropical  life.  It 
is  the  paradise  of  hunters,  where  lions,  leopards, 
rhinos,  and  elephants  disport  themselves,  and  where 
antelope  and  deer  abound  in  endless  variety  and  un- 
believable numbers.  Some  who  read  these  pages  will 
say,  "We  have  come  to  real  Africa  at  last." 

Yes,  it  is  real  Africa,  because  it  is  the  black  man's 
Africa.  The  white  man  is  not  tempted  to  linger  in 
these  parts.  Aside  from  the  uplands  of  the  east  coast 
and  the  tableland  of  Angola,  climatic  conditions  render 
colonization  from  Europe  undesirable,  if  not  impos- 
sible. There  will  always  be  government  officials, 
plantation  overseers,  and,  of  course,  missionaries,  who 
will  be  able  to  maintain  themselves  by  the  aid  of  fre- 
quent furloughs  and  rigid  attention  to  health,  but  so 
far  as  white  people  generally  are  concerned,  over  the 
Congo  valley  and  the  lake  country  God  has  hung  the 
sign.  Keep  Out.  This  much,  at  least,  of  the  earth's 
surface  is  to  be  the  undisputed  abode  of  the  dusky 
members  of  the  race. 

This  is  the  Africa  of  Livingstone  and  Stanley,  and 
it  is  rendered  peculiarly  sacred  to  Christian  people 
because  Livingstone's  heart  lies  buried  under  an  oak 
at  Chitambo's,  near  the  southern  border.  This  is  the 
Africa  of  the  great  lakes  and  the  mighty  Congo.     It 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  139 

is  the  Africa  for  which  the  European  powers  have 
scrambled  as  for  no  other  part  of  our  planet.  A  glance 
at  the  map  will  show  that  in  this  zone  we  have  the 
whole  of  German  East  Africa,  the  whole  of  Uganda, 
a  large  part  of  British  East  Africa,  more  than  half 
of  Portuguese  East  Africa,  more  than  half  of 
Rhodesia,  all  of  Angola,  all  of  the  Congo  Free  State, 
all  of  the  French  Congo,  practically  all  of  the  Cam- 
eroun,  together  with  Southern  Nigeria  and  the  entire 
Guinea  coast.  Its  natural  resources,  in  the  forests,  the 
farm  lands,  and  the  mining  regions,  mark  the  zone  as 
one  of  extraordinary  wealth.  Add  the  fact  of  accessi- 
bility on  account  of  the  lakes  and  streams,  and  you  have 
the  basis  for  a  sure  prophecy  of  a  great  development 
in  coming  years. 

The  Land  of  Footprints 

Stewart  Edward  White  has  written  a  delightful 
book  on  his  hunting  experiences  in  central  Africa, 
which  he  calls  "The  Land  of  Footprints."  The  ref- 
erence is  to  the  innumerable  tracks  of  wild  animals 
at  the  water-holes  and  on  the  river  banks,  which  every 
hunter  of  big  game  hopes  some  day  to  see  with  his 
own  eyes.  With  equal  appropriateness  a  missionary 
could  have  used  this  title  in  describing  the  life  of 
Africa's  human  animals.  If  you  could  study  the  con- 
tinent from  an  aeroplane,  the  most  characteristic  fea- 
ture of  the  landscape  would  be  the  cobweb  system  of 
paths,  which  spreads  out  in  every  direction.  One  can- 
not think  of  Africa  without  these  paths.     Some  of 


140  THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA 

them  are  of  great  antiquity,  worn  deep  with  the  patter- 
ing feet  of  hunters,  warriors,  traders,  slave  gangs,  and 
women  going  to  their  fields.  The  paths  are  the  nervous 
system  of  African  society,  and  the  villages  are  the 
ganglia. 

The  thing  to  know  above  everything  else  in  Africa 
is  the  native  village,  since  each  village  is  an  African 
world.  In  spite  of  all  the  diversity  of  tribe,  language 
and  custom,  the  main  features  of  the  life  of  the  people 
may  be  discerned  in  the  ongoings  of  each  little  collec- 
tion of  huts.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  great 
Bantu  race,  inhabiting  the  southern  half  of  the  con- 
tinent. 

Let  us  imagine  ourselves  in  a  typical  village  of 
central  Africa.  It  occupies  a  clearing  in  the  forest, 
made  by  cutting  off  the  tops  of  the  trees  and  leaving 
the  ground  bristling  with  bare  trunks.  The  one  hun- 
dred or  more  huts  are  constructed  of  palm  sticks  and 
leaves,  not  circular  in  form,  like  those  in  South  Africa, 
but  rectangular.  The  door  is  low  and  if  you  wish  to 
call  upon  the  leading  families  you  will  have  to  get 
down  on  your  hands  and  knees.  The  general  impres- 
sion is  that  of  shabbiness  and  destitution.  The  popula- 
tion is  about  500  and  it  strikes  you  at  first  as  remark- 
ably democratic  and  homogeneous.  Aside  from  the 
headman  there  seem  to  be  no  distinctions  of  class  or 
occupation.  Later  on  you  find  that  not  less  than  a 
third  of  the  population  are  slaves.  Domestic  slavery, 
although  frowned  upon  by  the  government,  is  well- 
nigh    universal.    The    slaves,    however,    are    treated 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  141 

kindly,  as  a  rule,  and  they  appear  to  be  contented  with 
their  lot.  They  are  restrained  by  the  practical  diffi- 
culty of  returning  to  their  distant  tribal  homes,  and 
even  more  by  an  inherent  consciousness  and  recogni- 
tion of  ownership  on  the  part  of  their  masters. 

Scientists  would  not  class  these  people  as  savages, 
but  as  barbarians,  since  they  use  tools  forged  from 
native  ore.  At  some  time  in  remote  history  they  took 
one  step  toward  civilization  and  then  stopped.  Not 
a  village,  not  a  tribe  has  a  literature  of  its  own  or 
even  an  alphabet.  You  are  surprised  to  find  the  people 
kindly  disposed.  They  conduct  you  to  the  palaver- 
house  in  the  center  of  the  village  and  bring  you  gifts 
of  manioc,  yams,  and  bananas.  It  is  much  in  your 
favor  that  you  come  from  the  mission  station,  since 
these  people  long  ago  learned  the  difference  between 
a  missionary  and  a  trader.  By  their  deepest  nature 
they  are  law-abiding,  inoffensive,  and  friendly,  stirred 
to  anger  only  when  fearing  war  or  when  treated  with 
injustice.  If  this  statement  is  doubted,  let  it  be  noted 
that  Great  Britain  maintains  her  rule  throughout  the 
colony  of  Gambia  by  means  of  seventy-five  native 
policemen  and  soldiers.  In  Nyasaland  she  has  the  im- 
mense force  of  135  native  soldiers!  Can  that  achieve- 
ment be  equaled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world  ? 

There  is  a  darker  side  to  native  life.  Everywhere 
the  women  live  on  a  plane  of  degradation  far  below 
the  men.  Women  are  chattels,  just  so  much  property. 
Polygamy  ^is  universal,  immorality  a  commonplace. 
The  women  raise  all  the  food,  which  the  men  eat  by 


142  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

themselves.  Miss  Jean  Kenyon  Mackenzie,  in  her 
articles  in  The  Atlantic,  and  even  more  in  her  recent 
books,  Black  Sheep,  An  African  Trail,  and  African 
Adventurers,  has  given  the  world  a  vivid  picture  of 
what  it  means  to  be  an  African  woman. 

The  most  brutal  elements  of  the  Bantu  come  out 
in  connection  with  his  religion.  The  thing  which  ought 
to  elevate  is  the  very  thing  that  drags  him  down.  The 
religion  of  the  primitive  African  is  usually  classed  as 
animism,  that  is,  the  worship  of  spirits.  This  is  one 
step  higher  than  fetishism,  which  is  the  worship  of 
natural  objects  endowed  with  religious  significance. 
The  African's  religion  abounds  in  fetishistic  elements, 
but  the  thing  that  dominates  his  thought  is  the  in- 
numerable company  of  demons  which  envelop  him  on 
every  side.  The  fact  that  many  of  these  demons  are 
the  spirits  of  his  departed  ancestors  does  not  add  to  his 
comfort.  The  African  lives  in  a  haunted  land.  Demons 
in  the  stones  of  the  brook,  demons  along  the  forest 
path,  demons  in  the  tree-tops,  demons  in  the  people  he 
meets — the  African  never  escapes  from  the  terror  of 
his  supernatural  world.  Nothing  untoward  that  hap- 
pens to  him  is  of  natural  occurrence;  some  witch  is 
always  to  blame.  When  he  is  ill,  or  an  accident  be- 
falls him,  or  bad  luck  comes,  or  a  relative  dies,  there 
is  a  guilty  party  who  must  be  "smelled  out."  Because 
the  vital  element  in  the  African's  religion  is  witch- 
craft, the  witch-doctor  becomes  the  great  figure  in  the 
community.  With  his  head-dress  of  feathers  and  his 
weird  ornaments,  his  appearance  is  calculated  to  in- 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  143 

spire  terror  and  awe  in  the  stoutest  hearts.  When 
employed  to  ferret  out  evil  he  gathers  the  people  in  a 
circle,  spreads  a  skin  on  the  ground,  shakes  his  rattles 
made  of  gourds,  in  order  to  call  the  spirits  near,  and 
divines  the  event  by  means  of  a  basket  full  of  charms, 
each  of  which  has  a  special  meaning  as  he  spills  them 
on  the  sacred  skin  and  notes  their  relations  one  to 
another.  It  is  from  the  witch-doctor  that  the  people 
obtain  the  fetishes  which  they  hold  in  such  high  es- 
teem. These  may  be  almost  any  curious  natural  ob- 
ject or  figure  carved  in  wood:  animal  forms,  heads 
of  birds,  teeth,  pieces  of  glass,  odd-looking  pebbles, 
knotted  strings,  bags  of  colored  earth,  which  are  worn 
on  the  person  or  treasured  in  the  hut. 

Among  the  foul  customs  which  arise  from  witch- 
craft are  the  poison  test  and  burying  alive  in  connec- 
tion with  the  funeral  of  a  chief.  The  former  is  the 
favorite  method  of  chiefs  in  detecting  witchcraft  or 
the  evil  eye.  Almost  any  untoward  event  may  lead 
to  the  arrest  of  a  large  group  of  suspected  people  who 
are  required  to  drink  a  decoction  of  poisonous  herbs, 
in  which  the  African  forests  abound.  Those  who  re- 
cover are  deemed  innocent;  those  who  die,  guilty.  It 
will  never  be  known  what  multitudes  of  innocent 
people  have  perished  in  this  way.  Frederick  Perry 
Noble  maintains  that  the  belief  in  witchcraft  has  done 
only  less  than  the  slave  trade  to  depopulate  sections 
of  Africa.  Sir  Henry  Hamilton  Johnston,  the  greatest 
of  all  authorities  on  Africa,  whose  books  would  fill 
a  shelf,  speaks  of  the  African  as  "fetish-ridden,  tor- 


144  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

tured  in  mind  and  body  by  some  of  the  most  hideous 
forms  of  religion  ever  invented." 

In  a  word,  the  religion  of  the  African  is  a  religion 
of  terror  and  hate.  Naturally  of  a  buoyant  and  lov- 
able disposition,  he  has  surrounded  himself  with  phan- 
toms which  weigh  upon  his  soul  like  lead.  In  the 
things  which  pertain  to  God  he  lives  in  abysmal  dark- 
ness. When  most  religious,  he  is  most  fiendish.  Will 
anyone  deny  that  something  ought  to  be  done  for  these 
people  ? 

Uganda,  the  Brightest  Spot  on  the  Map 

We  come  now  to  the  fascinating  story  of  mission 
work  in  central  Africa,  and  we  are  at  once  cheered  by 
the  thought  that  the  "zone  of  Pagan  darkness"  is  also 
the  "zone  of  Christian  advance."  It  is  in  this  very 
region  that  the  churches  have  scored  some  of  their 
greatest  successes.  Historically,  the  work  began  in 
the  east,  and  it  will  serve  our  purpose  best  if  we  start 
with  that  section  and  proceed  westward  through  the 
Congo  valley  to  the  Atlantic  coast.  And  first  comes 
the  story  of  Uganda,  the  brightest  spot  on  our  African 
map. 

"Oh,  that  some  pious,  practical  missionary  would 
come  here!  Such  an  one,  if  he  be  found,  would  be- 
come the  savior  of  Africa.  Where  is  there  in  all  the 
pagan  world  a  more  promising  field  than  Uganda? 
Here,  gentlemen,  is  your  opportunity ;  embrace  it.  The 
people  on  the  shores  of  the  Nyanza  call  upon  you." 
This  ringing  message  to  the  Christian  people  of  Great 


Copyright,  Underwood  &  Underwood. 

A  WITCH-DOCTOR  TREATING  AN  OLD  CHIEF 
Pouring  Quarts  of  Medicine  down  his  Throat 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  145 

Britain  was  found  by  General  "Chinese"  Gordon  con- 
cealed in  one  of  the  boots  of  a  French  explorer,  who 
had  been  killed  by  the  natives  on  the  upper  Nile.  It 
was  from  none  other  than  Henry  M.  Stanley,  who  in 
1875  was  visiting  King  Mtesa  on  Victoria  Nyanza. 
The  letter  created  a  sensation  in  England.  Volunteers 
came  forward  at  once;  the  Christian  public  responded 
with  money;  and  in  a  surprisingly  short  time  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  reached  the  decision  to  ac- 
cept the  challenge  and  to  open  up  work  in  Uganda. 
In  the  first  group  of  missionaries  who  sailed  in  1876 
there  were  a  naval  lieutenant,  two  civil  engineers,  an 
architect,  a  doctor,  a  builder,  and  an  artisan.  The 
leading  spirit  was  Alexander  Mackay,  the  Scotch  en- 
gineer, who  was  to  become  a  famous  figure  in  mis- 
sionary history.^  The  story  of  their  early  struggles 
and  their  later  successes  reads  like  a  romance.  They 
found  the  Baganda  all  that  Stanley  had  represented,  a 
really  remarkable  people,  of  rich,  reddish  brown  color, 
with  short  woolly  hair,  active,  well-knit  figures,  ex- 
pressive physiognomy,  and  easy  and  graceful  move- 
ments. Nudity,  when  out  of  doors,  was  repugnant  to 
them.  They  were  cleanly  in  their  habits,  and  they 
looked  down  upon  the  surrounding  tribes  who  prac- 
tised the  hideous  mutilations  which  we  usually  as- 
sociate with  African  life.  Mtesa,  the  representative 
of  a  line  of  kings  which  had  ruled  from  the  time  of 


*  See  Sophia  Lyon  Fahs,  Uganda's  While  Man  of  Work;  and  Mrs. 
J.  W.  Harrison,  Mackay  of  Uganda. 


146  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

Henry  IV  of  England,  proved  to  be  a  man  of  great 
force  of  character,  and  he  remained  friendly  until 
the  coming  of  the  Roman  Catholics  filled  his  court  with 
jarring  factions. 

Under  Mtesa's  successor  a  fierce  persecution  broke 
^ut.  The  entire  mission  was  expelled  from  the  coun- 
try and  many  of  the  native  Christians  suffered  martyr- 
dom. Some  of  the  Christian  boys  went  to  the  flames 
singing  the  hymns  the  missionaries  had  taught  them. 
Such  testimony  could  not  fall  to  the  ground,  and 
back  the  missionaries  came  after  a  short  period.  Then 
the  Uganda  church  started  upon  a  career  of  rapid 
growth,  which  has  continued  to  this  day.  The  Chris- 
tian population  of  Uganda,  according  to  the  latest 
figures,  now  numbers  374,264,  being  divided  about 
equally  between  Protestants  and  Catholics.  Since  191 5 
the  Christians  have  outnumbered  the  non-Christians 
by  nearly  100,000.  Schools  flourish,  there  is  material 
prosperity  on  every  side,  and  recently  the  native  lead- 
ers inaugurated  a  missionary  movement  in  behalf  of 
the  neighboring  tribes.  It  is  particularly  gratifying 
to  find  that  Mohammedanism,  once  rampant  in  this 
region,  is  steadily  giving  way  before  this  strong  Chris- 
tian advance.  From  every  point  of  view  the  enter- 
prise which  Stanley  inspired  has  been  a  success,  one 
of  the  greatest  successes  in  the  history  of  Christianity. 
The  story,  as  told  by  Pilkington  and  others,  calls  to 
mind  that  phrase  of  the  psalmist  which  meant  so  much 
to  God's  people  of  old,  ''Wonderful  works  in  the  land 
of  Ham." 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  147 

Nyasaland  and  Dr.  Laws 

It  is  remarkable  how  often  these  missionary  suc- 
cesses in  Africa  hinge  upon  a  single  personality,  like 
Mackay.  It  is  remarkable,  also,  how  one  personality 
has  kindled  another.  Robert  Laws,  while  a  student  in 
Scotland,  went  with  his  mother  to  hear  an  address  by 
the  aged  Dr.  Moffat,  then  lately  returned  from  South 
Africa.  On  the  way  home  his  mother  was  overjoyed 
to  hear  him  say  that  he  was  resolved  to  be  a  missionary 
and  that  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  heart  of  Africa.  This 
decision  became  a  link  in  an  important  chain  of  events. 
Moffat  inspired  Livingstone;  Livingstone  inspired 
Stewart  of  Lovedale;  Stewart  was  the  man  who  per- 
suaded the  Christian  people  of  Scotland  to  establish  a 
Livingstone  Memorial  Mission  on  Lake  Nyasa;  Dr. 
Laws,  who  had  come  under  the  influence  of  Moffat, 
offered  himself  for  the  task. 

That  was  in  1875.  In  19 15  the  fortieth  anniversary 
of  the  work  was  celebrated,  and  from  the  historical 
sketch  by  Donald  Eraser  we  learn  what  has  happened 
in  between.  Dr.  Laws  and  his  associates  found  the 
natives  of  Nyasaland  degraded  by  superstition,  the  vic- 
tims of  hideously  cruel  customs,  existing  by  plunder 
or  by  selling  one  another  into  slavery.  Nevertheless, 
the  missionaries  received  a  joyous  welcome  because 
they  were  "the  brothers  of  Livingstone,  the  tribe  that 
loves  the  black  man."  To-day  the  Arab  slave  dealer 
has  gone  out  of  business,  and  scores  of  thousands  of 
men    are    engaged    in    remunerative    labor.       Eight 


148  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

languages  have  been  reduced  to  writing,  850  schools 
have  been  started,  51,000  pupils  are  enrolled,  and  it 
is  a  rare  village  which  does  not  have  its  little  school- 
building.  At  Kondowe  there  is  a  central  training 
school,  modeled  after  Lovedale.  Churches  are  found 
throughout  the  region,  and  when  the  first  African 
preacher  was  ordained  an  audience  of  1,600  filled  the 
church,  while  5,000  waited  outside.  There  is  a  church- 
membership  of  10,000  and  a  Christian  community  of 
40,000.     Such  is  the  fruitage  of  only  forty  years. 

To  the  south  of  Lake  Xyasa,  in  the  Shire  highlands, 
the  Church  of  Scotland  Foreign  Mission  Committee 
established  the  Blantyre  Mission,  named  from  the 
birthplace  of  Livingstone.  This  enterprise  has  been 
greatly  prospered  and  is  widely  known  for  the  impres- 
sive cathedral  which  was  built  by  native  hands.  The 
Nyasa  work,  like  that  in  Uganda,  just  now  suffers 
severely  from  the  prevalence  of  the  sleeping-sickness, 
which  has  depopulated  many  of  the  villages  on  the  lake 
shore.  This  scourge,  which  is  spread  by  the  sting  of 
the  tsetse  fly,  afflicts  whites  and  blacks  alike,  and  is 
proving  an  almost  insurmountable  obstacle.  It  may 
be  that  the  completion  of  the  work  in  the  lake  coun- 
try-, where  such  a  splendid  beginning  has  been  made, 
will  have  to  wait  upon  discoveries  in  the  schools  of 
tropical  medicine  in  Hamburg,  London,  and  Boston. 
The  Blantyre  work  of  late  has  suffered  from  an  in- 
undation of  Mohammedan  missionaries.  In  nearly 
every  village  where  a  church  has  not  been  built  a  hut 
has  been  set  apart  as  a  mosque. 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  149 

The  Congo  Mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

The  southern  section  of  the  Cape-to-Cairo  railroad 
is  now  completed  to  Bukama,  on  the  river  which  Liv- 
ingstone called  Lualaba,  but  which  Stanley  found  to  be 
the  upper  waters  of  the  Congo.  There  connection  is 
made  with  a  mixed  steamboat  and  railroad  service 
to  the  mouth  of  the  great  river,  2,100  miles  away. 
Thus  the  traveler  can  ascend  the  Congo  to  its  head 
waters  and  proceed  thence  by  rail  to  Cape  Town,  Dur- 
ban, or  Beira.  This  route  has  been  made  possible 
through  the  diversion  of  the  Cape-to-Cairo  system 
to  the  Katanga  district  of  the  Belgian  Congo  State, 
where  valuable  copper  and  other  mineral  deposits  have 
been  located.  Already  extensive  mining  operations 
have  been  begun  and,  as  in  the  case  of  South  Africa, 
thousands  of  native  laborers  are  being  drawn  from 
tribes  near  and  far.  One  mine  employs  5,000  natives, 
another  2,000.  Some  prophesy  that  Kambove,  the 
capital  of  the  district,  is  to  be  a  second  Johannesburg. 
Here  is  a  chance  for  the  churches  "to  come  in  on  the 
ground  floor,"  as  the  investors  say,  and  to  capture  the 
situation  before  commercial  greed  gets  in  its  deadly 
work.  Thank  God,  the  chance  is  not  to  be  lost. 
Hither  came  the  Rev.  John  M.  Springer,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  in 
191 3,  to  preempt  the  situation  for  Christ.  The  work 
has  opened  up  so  encouragingly  that  it  is  now  desig- 
nated as  the  Congo  Mission.  The  effort  at  present 
is  largely  evangelistic,  although  a  beginning  has  been 


ISO  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

made  in  education  and  literature.  At  eleven  services 
held  on  one  Sunday,  Mr.  Springer  had  representatives 
of  thirty-five  tribes  in  his  audience,  some  of  them  from 
a  thousand  miles  away.  After  a  furlough  in  America, 
he  returns  with  a  splendid  band  of  workers  and  liberal 
sums  of  money  pledged  for  the  development  of  the 
new  field.  Mr.  Springer  has  started  an  enterprise  at 
one  of  the  most  strategic  points  in  the  continent,  which 
we  all  should  watch  with  interest  and  earnest  prayer 
for  its  success. 

Evangelistic  Harvestings  on  the  Congo 

And  now  we  come  to  the  great  river  itself,  with  its 
9,500  miles  of  navigable  waterways,  a  drainage  area 
second  only  to  that  of  the  Amazon,  its  untold  natural 
wealth,  and  its  population  of  over  30,000,000  souls. 
Stanley,  after  his  famous  trip  down  the  river,  returned 
as  the  representative  of  the  European  powers  and  made 
treaties  with  450  native  chiefs,  thus  laying  the  founda- 
tion for  the  Congo  Free  State.  If  ever  there  was  an 
encouraging  start  in  African  colonization,  it  was  this. 
The  natives  showed  a  willing  spirit  and  the  prospects 
were  excellent  for  the  working  together  of  Europe  and 
Africa  on  a  harmonious  basis  for  mutual  good. 
Yet  in  this  very  region  we  have  had  the  most  disgrace- 
ful exhibition  of  greed,  injustice,  and  murderous  bru- 
tality, on  the  part  of  the  white  man,  to  be  found  in 
the  annals  of  our  selfish  race.  Now  that  the  atrocities 
are  over,  and  that  the  good  King  Albert  is  on  the 
throne  of  Belgium,  we  recall  with  gratitude  the  mis- 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  151 

sionaries  who  had  the  courage  to  state  the  facts  and 
to  endure  the  calumny  and  persecution  which  followed. 
It  remains  now  for  the  missions  to  heal  the  sores  of 
hatred  and  revenge,  and  lead  in  a  movement  for  the 
rapid  civilization  and  Christianization  of  the  entire 
Congo  basin.  In  this  stupendous  task  the  American 
societies  are  likely  to  take  the  leading  part. 

The  Baptists  were  the  first  to  see  or  at  least  to  seize 
the  great  opening  made  by  Stanley's  explorations.  To- 
day both  the  English  and  American  Baptists  are 
strongly  established  on  the  river.  The  stations  of  the 
English  Baptists  reach  from  Matadi,  the  port  city  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  to  Stanley  Falls,  and  even 
beyond  to  the  country  north  of  Tanganyika.  The  hero 
of  this  mission  is  George  Grenfell,  one  of  the  first 
figures  in  African  exploration  and  missionary  pioneer- 
ing, the  only  missionary  who  may  appropriately  be 
spoken  of  as  "the  successor  of  Livingstone."  It  was 
Grenfell  who  discovered  the  Ubangi,  the  largest 
affluent  of  the  Congo.  The  story  of  how,  in  his  little 
steamer  called  Peace,  he  pushed  his  way  up  this  stream 
past  cannibal  villages,  and  often  through  a  shower 
of  spears  and  poisoned  arrows,  for  exciting  interest 
is  not  surpassed  by  Stanley  or  any  explorer.  Sir 
Harry  Johnston  considered  Grenfell  worthy  of  a  two- 
volume  biography.^ 

The  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  has 
ten  stations  scattered  from  Matadi  to  the  region  above 
Stanley  Pool.   Of  these,  Ikoko,  only  thirty  miles  from 


^  Sir  Harry  H.  Johnston,  George  Grenfell  and  the  Congo. 


152  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

the  equator,  is  perhaps  the  best  known,  through  its  as- 
sociation with  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  who  has  been  heard 
on  so  many  missionary  platforms,  and  who  took  such 
a  prominent  part  in  exposing  the  Congo  atrocities. 
Twenty-two  years  ago  every  man  at  Ikoko  was  a 
cannibal.  To-day  there  are  500  church-members,  of 
whom  forty  have  gone  to  as  many  pagan  villages  to 
live  and  witness  for  Christ.  A  deacon,  named  Epundr, 
the  son  of  a  cannibal,  during  the  absence  of  the  mis- 
sionary carried  through  the  press  the  Gospel  of  Mat- 
thew in  a  language  not  his  own,  correcting  proof  and 
attending  to  every  detail  as  well  as  Mr.  Clark  him- 
self could  have  done.  The  working  principle  of  this 
mission  is  that  every  Christian  must  be  ready  to  render 
any  service  required  by  the  church.  At  Banza  a  great 
revival  has  set  in,  and  already,  under  the  leadership 
of  Henry  Richards,  a  church  of  1,800  members  has 
been  gathered.  The  mission  is  rejoicing  over  the 
raising  of  the  money  for  the  building  of  four  new 
hospitals.  The  total  membership  of  the  mission  is 
about  5,000,  the  English  Baptists  enrolling  the  same 
number.  Up  to  1880  there  was  not  a  Christian  in  all 
the  region,  only  savages  and  cannibals. 

The  missionaries  of  the  Foreign  Christian  Mis- 
sionary Society  are  near  neighbors  of  the  Baptists. 
Bolenge,  on  the  equator,  is  their  typical  station,  con- 
cerning which  we  hear  inspiring  stories  of  progress. 
Dr.  Stephen  J.  Corey  tells  of  addressing  an  audience 
of  1,400  and  of  participating  in  the  baptism  of  207 
persons  on  one  Sunday.    They  have  one  church  which 


Copyright,  Underwood  &  Underwood. 

RAW  MATERIAL  ON  THE  CONGO 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  153 

supports  fifty  missionaries  from  their  own  congrega- 
tion. Dr.  Corey  also  tells  a  remarkable  story  of  a  con- 
vert named  Bonjolongo,  who  was  one  of  the  fiercest 
of  King  Leopold's  tax  collectors,  and  who  had  been 
instrumental  in  slaying  thousands  of  his  countrymen. 
Upon  conversion  he  insisted  that  he  must  carry  the 
gospel  to  the  very  people  he  had  injured.  He  could  not 
be  dissuaded.  "Bonjolongo,"  said  the  missionary,  "if 
you  go  back  the  people  will  slay  you,  because  they  hate 
and  fear  you."  His  reply  was,  "Bonjolongo  must  go 
and  witness  for  Christ  in  those  villages."  So,  clothed 
in  the  blue  denim  garb  of  a  Christian,  he  made  the  jour- 
ney of  six  days  into  the  jungle,  unarmed  and  alone. 
Upon  entering  the  town  he  was  immediately  recog- 
nized and  the  war-drum  began  to  sound.  In  a  moment 
he  was  surrounded  by  warriors  armed  with  spears  and 
knives.  There  was  no  time  to  explain  his  change  of 
heart  and  his  desire  to  do  them  good.  In  a  moment  he 
would  be  a  dead  man.  But  Bonjolongo  was  a  resource- 
ful African.  The  missionary  had  given  him  for  the 
journey  an  aluminum  canteen  for  drinking  water, 
and  he  w^as  carrying  this  on  a  strap  over  his  shoulder. 
Knowing  that  the  natives  had  never  seen  such  an 
object,  he  took  it  from  his  shoulder  quickly,  pointed 
the  cork  at  them,  and  exclaimed,  "If  you  come  a  step 
closer,  I  will  pull  this  cork  out."  He  advanced  a  step 
and  they  fled  precipitately  into  the  forest.  An  hour 
later  when  the  warriors  came  slinking  back  they  found 
Bonjolongo  preaching  Christ  to  the  villagers.  He  is 
now  pastor  of  a  flourishing  congregation  in  that  place. 


154  THE   LURE   OF   AFRICA 

The  Southern  Presbyterians  on  the  Kassai 

Draw  a  line  from  the  mouth  of  the  Congo  to  Lake- 
Tanganyika  and  right  in  the  middle  of  it  you  can  locate 
the  field  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  remote  spots  in  the  continent. 
The  mission  is  reached  by  steamer  on  the  Kassai  River, 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  Congo,  but  so  long  is  the 
trip  that  American  mails  are  three  months  old  when 
they  arrive.  Provisions  have  to  be  ordered  six  months 
in  advance.  The  nearest  post-office  is  five  hundred 
miles  away.  In  this  far-off  region  we  find  a  work 
of  large  proportions  and  great  variety,  one  of  the 
"show-spots"  on  the  missionary  map.  The  country 
is  thickly  populated,  the  leading  tribes  being  the  Bakete 
and  the  Bakuba,  among  whom  the  Southern  Presby- 
terians are  the  sole  workers.  The  steamer  which  plies 
between  Stanley  Pool  and  Luebo,  the  central  station 
of  the  mission,  bears  the  honored  name  of  Samuel 
Lapsley,  the  founder  of  the  enterprise  and  one  of  the 
hero  figures  of  central  Africa.  What  Mackay  was  to 
Uganda,  Dr.  Lapsley  was  to  the  Kassai  tribes. 

This  mission,  in  the  very  heart  of  paganism,  w^as  not 
started  until  1891 ;  the  results  are  truly  extraordinary. 
Think  of  a  church  of  15,674  members  gathered  in 
that  time,  and  a  Christian  community  of  85,000! 
Think  of  2)^,77S  children  attending  Sunday-schools, 
and  15,835  in  day  schools!  The  total  force  of  white 
workers  is  but  thirty-four.    Nothing  could  indicate  the 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  155 

ripeness  of  this  field  better  than  the  fact  that  forty  dele- 
gations from  as  many  villages  called  upon  a  missionary 
about  to  return  on  furlough,  begging  him  to  bring 
them  teachers.  On  the  average,  seven  such  delegations 
journey  to  Luebo  every  week.  Such  a  record  should 
entice  other  boards  to  occupy  the  virgin  territory 
stretching  to  the  south  and  east  for  hundreds  of  miles. 

The  Southern  Methodists  as  Pioneers 

Already  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  has  accepted  the  challenge  of 
the  vast  unoccupied  territory  at  the  headwaters  of  the 
Kassai  River.  Under  the  leadership  of  Bishop  Lam- 
buth,  who  has  twice  visited  the  field,  in  19 14  they 
planted  a  station  at  Wembo-Niama,  700  miles  by  the 
river  to  the  northeast  of  Luebo.  This  step  was  taken 
only  after  painstaking  exploration,  in  conjunction  with 
the  Presbyterian  missionaries,  who  have  cooperated 
earnestly  at  every  step  in  the  undertaking.  We  find 
no  better  illustration  of  Christian  unity  than  in  the 
relations  of  these  boards  in  this  African  work.  When 
the  field  was  chosen  and  the  consent  of  the  native  chief 
had  been  obtained,  two  native  pastors  of  the  Presby- 
terian mission  volunteered  to  join  the  Methodist  force, 
and  with  them  went  nineteen  others  who  constituted 
the  nucleus  of  the  new  church.  This  is  the  latest 
enterprise  to  be  started  in  the  Congo  basin;  but  the 
prospects  are  for  large  and  speedy  returns.  The  en- 
tire support  of  this  work  has  been  undertaken  by  the 
Epworth  Leagues  of  the  Southern  Methodist  churches. 


156  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

The  Enchanter's  Wand  in  Angola 

When  Charles  Darwin  visited  New  Zealand  in 
1835  and  saw  the  effect  of  mission  work  among  the 
Maoris,  he  wrote,  ''The  lesson  of  the  missionary  is 
the  enchanter's  wand."  The  same  may  be  said  for 
many  a  field  in  Africa,  where  conditions  to-day  re- 
semble those  in  New  Zealand  seventy-five  years  ago, 
and  where  the  transformations  in  community  life  al- 
most pass  belief.  Angola,  or  Portuguese  West  Africa, 
equal  in  area  to  fourteen  Portugals,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  7,000,000,  is  being  worked  by  the  Northern 
Methodists  from  Loanda  as  a  center,  and  by  the  Con- 
gregationalists  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  in 
the  region  back  of  Benguela.  These  fields  are  note- 
worthy for  their  demonstration  of  social  regeneration. 
In  this  region  we  have  the  spectacle  of  Christian  vil- 
lages side  by  side  with  pagan  villages  and  presenting 
the  sharpest  contrasts.  In  the  pagan  villages,  dis- 
order, filth,  immorality;  in  the  Christian  villages, 
streets  laid  out  in  squares;  houses  of  several  rooms, 
with  doors,  windows,  and  furniture;  a  family  life  cen- 
tering in  the  common  meal;  a  community  life  taking 
its  color  from  the  daily  prayer  service  in  the  church; 
on  every  side  cleanliness,  intelligence,  prosperity, 
morality.  To  travel  in  Angola  is  to  know  the  social 
power  of  Christianity. 

At  Chisamba,  one  of  the  stations  of  the  Canada 
Congregational  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  a  con- 
gregation of  900  gathers  on  Sunday.     When   Kan- 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  157 

jundu,  the  chief,  was  living,  he  occupied  a  front  pew 
among  the  elders  of  the  church.  So  far  as  we  know 
he  was  the  first  chief  to  adopt  compulsory  education. 
Every  child  was  obliged  to  go  to  school  and  everybody 
else  was  urged  to  go.  The  result  for  a  time  was  a 
strange  jumble  of  old  grannies,  little  children,  young 
men,  and  mothers  with  babies  on  their  backs.  Kan- 
jundu  was  short  on  pedagogy,  but  his  ideal  of  an  edu- 
cated community  has  not  been  surpassed  in  Africa. 

The  conversion  of  this  chief  is  worth  knowing 
about.  When,  under  the  preaching  of  Dr.  Currie, 
Kanjundu  accepted  Christ,  he  at  once  liberated  his 
one  hundred  slaves,  presenting  to  each  one  a  house. 
He  also  released  seven  superfluous  wives,  honorably 
providing  for  each.  Best  of  all,  he  lived  an  exemplary 
life,  notwithstanding  the  persecution  of  the  governor. 
Before  conversion,  a  cruel  chief;  after  conversion,  a 
loving,  kindly,  childlike  Christian.  I  told  him  about 
the  Mohammedan  advance,  and  asked  if  he  was  afraid 
for  his  people.  A  gleam  came  into  the  old  chief's  eyes 
as  he  replied,  "Let  them  come.  We  will  take  care  of 
them." 

The  Africans  throughout  this  region  are  rapidly 
giving  up  their  fetishes  and  charms,  and  bringing  them 
to  the  missionaries  for  public  burning  in  connection 
with  the  services  of  the  church.  It  not  infrequently 
happens  that  at  the  close  of  a  service,  in  the  space 
in  front  of  the  church,  a  bushel  of  charms  is  burned 
at  one  time,  while  the  people  stand  around  in  awed  si- 
lence.    Those  who  have  witnessed  this  performance 


158  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

state  that  it  calls  vividly  to  mind  the  scene  described 
in  Acts  xix.  19.  Passing  along  a  native  trail  in  a  re- 
mote region,  I  once  met  a  company  of  native  hunters, 
armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  The  missionary  could 
interpret  and  we  fell  to  talking.  I  asked  the  leader 
of  the  band,  ''Have  the  'words'  come  to  your  village 
yet?"  His  face  lighted  up  as  he  replied,  "Oh,  yes,  the 
'words'  have  come;  a  Christian  teacher  came  to  live 
among  us  only  a  week  ago."  I  then  inquired,  "Would 
the  other  villages  about  here  like  to  have  the  Svords'  ?" 
He  sw^ept  the  horizon  with  his  arm  and  said,  "All  of 
them,  all  of  them  are  waiting  for  the  words  to  come." 
There  you  have  Angola  in  a  picture — 7,000,000  people 
are  waiting  for  us  to  send  them  the  words. 

Mass  Movements  in  Cameroiin 

Of  all  the  missionaries  who  work  in  Africa  to-day 
the  Northern  Presbyterians  are  to  be  most  con- 
gratulated. One  of  these  is  Miss  Jean  Mackenzie,  whose 
articles  and  books  have  been  previously  referred  to. 
Miss  Mackenzie,  in  her  inimitable  way,  speaks  of  their 
working  during  the  past  ten  years  in  a  "tumult  of 
development."  She  says,  "The  forest  tribes  and  the 
tribes  by  the  sea  crowded  into  the  tribe  of  God."  It 
is  one  thing  to  read  missionary  reports  of  success; 
it  is  quite  another  thing  to  be  led,  as  Miss  Mackenzie 
leads,  into  the  very  atmosphere  of  success.  "All  these 
years  to  have  been  praying,  perhaps  mechanically,  'Thy 
Kingdom  come,'  and  then  one  day  to  see  it  coming, 
crowding  up  an  old  path  that  has  been  made  straight 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  159 

and  the  way  of  the  Lord!"  In  one  letter  she  writes, 
^*Two  thousand  people  assemble  of  a  Sunday.  The 
work  is  exceedingly  encouraging,  the  people  exceed- 
ingly responsive."  In  a  later  letter  we  have  this :  'T 
did,  indeed,  see  an  Elat  communion  service — a  most 
exciting  adventure.  I  saw  246  Christians  admitted  to 
the  church,  and  a  congregation  of  5,000." 

The  story  of  Cameroun  is  the  story  of  Uganda  over 
again.  Each  mail  brings  something  new.  At  an  Elat 
communion  in  July,  19 16,  there  were  8,000  present, 
and  from  the  report  I  cull  such  expressions  as  these: 
"The  work  is  moving  in  a  way  that  is  absolutely  beyond 
"human  control.  Hundreds  are  confessing  Christ  every 
month.  The  Lord  is  doing  glorious  things  for  Africa. 
The  prayers  of  the  home  church  are  being  answered." 
Among  the  wonders  of  Cameroun  is  the  development 
of  beneficence.  In  this  field  the  every-member  canvass 
has  been  carried  out  in  its  fullest  extent,  and  they 
enroll  to-day  18,000  Christians  making  a  weekly  gift 
to  the  Lord's  work. 

Naturally  under  such  conditions  it  is  a  problem  how 
to  keep  out  unworthy  members.  The  mission  guards 
against  this  by  a  course  of  instruction  and  testing  in 
a  catechism  class  lasting  two  years ;  also  by  a  thorough- 
going system  of  church  discipline.  Even  so,  one  church 
has  a  waiting  list  of  1,650.  The  average  Sunday  at- 
tendance for  the  entire  presbytery  is  over  77,000,  while 
the  number  of  adherents  is  slightly  less  than  100,000. 

The  mission  has  established  an  extensive  educational 
system,  including  large  industrial  and  agricultural  de- 


i6o  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

partments.  During  die  \-acation  season,  selected 
schoolboys  in  the  higher  grades  go  out  two  by  two 
among  the  neighboring  tribes,  where  thev  conduct 
vacation  schools  and  preaching  centers.  When  vaca- 
tion is  over  they  bring  back  witli  them  to  die  central 
school  all  the  boys  who  have  made  the  proper  grade 
in  the  vacation  schools.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Euro- 
pean War  there  were  seven  station  schools  where  the 
teachers  were  under  :he  super\-ision  of  missionaries, 
and  there  were  nearly  200  \-illage  schools  imder  black 
teachers.  In  the  schools  of  this  mission  there  were 
over  17,000  pupils. 

Summarizing  statements  made  by  t^*o  missionaries 
on  furlough,  Messrs.  Dager  and  Johnson,  the  follow- 
ing reasons  for  the  Cameroun  mass  movements  are 
given:  i.  The  Bulu  are  an  energetic,  ^-irile  tribe,  hv- 
ing  among  the  hills,  just  ripe  for  something  new  and 
better.  2.  The  leadership  and  personal  influence  of 
Dr.  Adolphus  Good,  *'that  prince  of  Presb\i:erian  pio- 
neer missionaries.'*^  3.  The  rapid  spread  of  the  village 
school  system,  by  which  each  school-house  became  an 
evangelistic  center.  4.  Rigid  requirements  for  church- 
membership,  with  corresponding  training  in  catechism 
classes.  5.  Placing  responsibiUt)^  for  the  salvation 
of  their  people  upon  the  native  church.  6.  The  spirit 
of  prayer  per^*ading  the  church.  7.  Insistence  upon 
self-support.  8.  The  absence  of  any  competing  and 
confusing  denomination  working  in  Cameroun. 

In  all  these  favoring  circumstances  the  missionaries 


»  See  EUen  C.  Parsons,  A  Life  for  Africa. 


THE  HEART  OF  PAGANISM  i6i 

see  how  wonderfully  God  has  prepared  this  field  for 
the  laborers  he  has  sent  to  gather  its  harvest,  and  in 
their  many  striking  and  inspiring  successes  they  feel 
the  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Christianity  Advancing 

There  are  other  missionary  enterprises  in  central 
Africa  of  which  it  would  be  pleasant  to  speak,  did 
space  permit ;  but  enough  has  been  said  to  demonstrate 
that  the  "heart  of  paganism"  is  also  the  ''zone  of 
Christian  advance."  From  the  east  and  the  west  and 
the  south  the  boards  have  pushed  in  and  have  occupied 
strategic  positions.  There  are  vast  territories  still  un- 
occupied on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Congo,  along  some 
of  the  northern  affluents  and  south  of  the  great  bend ; 
the  work  is  only  fairly  under  way  in  several  of  the 
occupied  fields;  but  even  so,  great  things  have  been 
accomplished  and  the  evidence  of  success  has  been 
piled  so  high  that  he  must  be  a  feeble  Christian  indeed 
who  thinks  that  central  Africa  cannot  be  won  for 
Christ.  There  is  only  one  real  problem,  and  that  is 
in  the  home  churches.  Will  the  people  at  home  have 
vision  and  courage  and  consecration  enough  to  do  this 
great  thing?  The  Africans  are  ready ;  the  missionaries 
on  the  ground  are  ready ;  God  is  ready ;  are  we  ready  ? 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


VII 

AFRICA    THE    LABORATORY    OF    CHRIS- 
TIANITY 

The  significance  of  Africa  as  the  laboratory  of 
Christianity  may  best  be  set  forth  through  an  experience 
which  came  to  me  on  an  Easter  Sunday  at  a  remote 
mission  station  in  Gazaland,  Southern  Rhodesia.  This 
station,  which  is  called  Chikore,  was  founded  by  the 
Rev.  George  A.  Wilder,  a  missionary  of  the  American 
Board  who  sixteen  years  before  had  pushed  into  the 
jungle  from  Mt.  Silinda  for  the  purpose  of  beginning 
work  among  a  virile  but  degraded  tribe.  They  were 
known  as  cannibals,  although  their  cannibalism  was 
confined  to  the  eating  of  one  of  their  foes  in  war,  under 
the  idea  that  the  prowess  of  the  foe  would  thus  pass 
into  their  own  bodies.  The  flesh  of  the  slain  foe  would 
be  cut  in  long  strips,  which  they  hung  from  the 
branches  of  a  great  tree,  known  as  the  Chikore  tree. 
The  warriors  would  be  drawn  up  in  a  circle  and  at  a 
signal  would  rush  in  and  eagerly  devour  the  strips  of 
flesh. 

Easter  at  Chikore 

Riding  through  the  forest  on  horse-back  that  Satur- 
day morning,  I  was  eager  to  see  what  impression  had 

165 


1 66  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

been  made  upon  these  wild  people  during  the  sixteen 
years  of  work  among  them.  I  was  prepared  to  wit- 
ness lurid  scenes  of  savagery.  Imagine  then  my  sur- 
prise on  being  met,  about  a  mile  from  the  station,  by  a 
band  of  well-dressed  young  people,  headed  by  Lincoln, 
their  African  teacher,  each  one  carrying  a  palm  branch. 
They  separated  into  two  lines,  the  boys  on  one  side 
of  the  road  and  the  girls  on  the  other,  while  Mr. 
King  and  I  rode  through.  As  we  passed  between  the 
lines  the  children  waved  their  palm  branches  in  rhythm, 
while  they  sang  in  English, 

Prom  Greenland's  icy  mountains, 
^  From  India's  coral  strand; 

Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains 

Roll  down  their  golden  sand; 
From  many  an  ancient  river, 

From  many  a  palmy  plain, 
They  call  us  to  deliver 

Their  land  from  error's  chain. 

It  is  impossible  to  convey  the  impression  produced  by 
hearing  that  missionary  hymn  sung  in  the  heart  of 
Africa  by  the  children  of  those  who  so  recently  had 
been  cannibals.  The  effect  was  electric,  and  I  found 
every  fiber  of  my  being  thrilling  under  the  significance 
of  the  scene.  Evidently  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wilder  had  not 
labored  in  vain. 

I  soon  learned,  however,  that  paganism  had  not  been 
entirely  overcome  in  the  Chikore  tribe.  The  same 
day  there  waited  upon  me  a  company  of  heathen  men 
and  women,  headed  by  their  ten  chiefs,  who  came,  as 
they  said,  to  extend  "a  welcome  to  their  country." 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  167 

Their  idea  as  to  what  was  demanded  on  such  an  oc- 
casion was  highly  original.  In  a  solid  mass  they 
squatted  by  the  roadside,  the  ten  chiefs  in  front.  Each 
chief  then  insisted  upon  making  a  speech  and  each 
chief  made  practically  the  same  speech.  The  tenor  of 
their  remarks  was  as  follows:  ''Mfundisi,  we  don't 
like  these  people  you  have  sent  to  us.  We  don't  like 
them  and  we  don't  like  their  ways.  We  don't  want 
to  give  up  our  wives.  We  don't  want  to  wear 
clothes.  We  don't  want  to  live  in  square  houses. 
We  don't  want  to  dig  the  ground  in  the  way  they 
teach.  We  don't  want  our  children  to  go  to  school. 
We  want  to  be  let  alone.  We  like  the  old  ways  be- 
cause the  old  ways  were  best.  Mfundisi,  when  you  go 
away  to  your  own  country,  take  all  these  people  with 
you."  These  remarks  were  repeated  over  and  over 
by  the  chiefs,  not  without  murmurs  and  exclamations 
of  dissent  from  the  throng  of  Christians  standing 
around.  But  I  allowed  the  chiefs  to  have  their  say, 
each  sentence  being  interpreted  by  Mr.  King,  who,  in 
the  absence  of  Dr.  Wilder,  was  in  charge  of  the  sta- 
tion. Before  they  were  half  through  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  they  were  a  set  of  shrewd  old  heathen ;  also 
that,  so  far  as  the  feelings  of  the  people  were  con- 
cerned, they  were  telling  me  a  pack  of  lies.  When, 
at  last,  they  had  finished,  I  said,  "Chiefs,  these  are 
strange  words  which  come  to  my  ears.  I  must  think 
them  over.  I  want  to  meet  you  and  your  followers 
to-morrow  at  the  Chikore  tree,  when  the  sun  is  there 
[pointing,  African   fashion,   to  the  meridian].     To- 


i68  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

morrow  is  a  great  day  for  us  Christians,  and  I  shall 
have  something  important  to  say  to  you." 

Now  the  Chikore  tree  had  been  the  center  of  their 
superstitious  rites  and  orgies  for  many  generations 
and  the  chiefs  pricked  up  their  ears  when  I  named  this 
spot  as  our  rendezvous;  but  they  all  agreed  to  come. 
The  next  morning,  being  Easter,  we  held  a  communion 
service  in  the  thatched  church,  which  was  attended  by 
the  entire  Christian  community.  At  its  close  I  asked 
them  all  to  go  to  the  great  tree  to  meet  their  chiefs 
and  their  heathen  friends,  and  I  asked  them  to  stand 
ready  to  do  whatever  I  desired  of  them.  It  was  ar- 
ranged that  Lincoln  should  march  them  up  in  a  body. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  King,  Dr.  Lawrence,  and  I  went  ahead 
to  the  place  of  meeting.  The  tree  proved  to  be  a  giant 
timtomhe,  fully  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  with  a 
shade  area  capable  of  sheltering  a  thousand  people. 
The  tree  stood  on  a  ridge  and  was  a  landmark  for 
twenty  miles  around.  The  heathen  were  there  in  large 
numbers,  and  we  found  they  had  seated  themselves 
in  circles  under  the  outer  branches,  leaving  the  interior 
of  the  space  clear.  The  chiefs  sat  in  a  row  by  them- 
selves. There  could  not  have  been  a  better  setting  for 
the  effect  I  hoped  to  produce. 

While  we  were  greeting  the  people,  the  sound  of 
gospel  hymns  came  up  over  the  tops  of  the  trees,  and 
I  knew  Lincoln  and  his  band  had  started  from  the 
station.  They  made  a  beautiful  sight  as  they  emerged 
from  the  forest  in  double  file,  singing  as  they  went, 
each  carrying  a  hymn-book,  like  a  cathedral  choir. 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  169 

The  men  were  clothed  in  white  and  the  women  in 
colors.  They  marched  around  the  tree  and  seated 
themselves  on  the  ground  in  a  solid  mass,  close  to  the 
trunk. 

After  prayer  and  a  hymn,  the  speaking  began.  Al- 
luding to  the  complaint  of  the  chiefs  and  their  state- 
ment that  they  wanted  back  the  old  days  because  the 
old  days  were  best,  I  told  them  how  I  had  traveled 
in  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  always  had  found  that 
Christianity  brought  a  blessing,  more  food,  better 
clothes,  pleasant  homes,  peace  in  the  heart;  but  evi- 
dently that  was  not  the  case  at  Chikore.  "Here,  you 
say,  the  Christian  religion  is  a  curse,  not  a  blessing;  but 
let  us  hear  some  other  testimony.  Mr.  King,  call  out 
some  of  your  converts  and  let  them  speak  to  this 
question :  'Were  the  old  days  best  ?'  "  It  took  the 
balance  of  the  afternoon  to  hear  all  who  wanted  to 
speak.  Not  one  man  knew  he  was  to  be  called  upon, 
yet  each  one  made  a  new  point  and  nearly  all  alluded 
to  what  used  to  go  on  under  the  Chikore  tree. 

Bhande  was  the  first.  He  said  he  was  the  son  of 
a  chief.  Once  when  there  was  trouble  in  the  kraal 
his  father  sent  him  to  this  place  to  sacrifice  to  the 
spirits.  The  ground  was  wet  with  blood.  He  added 
to  the  blood  that  day;  but  no  peace  came  to  their 
kraal.  Now  they  are  Christians  and  their  hearts  are 
full  of  joy. 

Zonzo  told  how,  in  the  old  days,  the  bush  was  full 
of  lions,  leopards,  and  hyenas,  and  how  their  lives  were 
full  of  terror;  but  now  the  missionaries  with  their 


170  THE    LURE    OF   AFRICA 

wond-erful  guns  have  driven  these  beasts  away,  and  the 
women  and  children  can  walk  through  the  bush  in 
safety. 

Tom  Mapangisana  said  that  in  his  opinion  the  old 
spirit-worship  was  *'all  a  farce."  He  told  how  this 
used  to  be  called  *'the  hungry  country,"  but  now  they 
had  plenty  of  food  because  the  missionaries  had 
brought  them  better  seed  and  had  taught  them  to  dig 
the  ground  deep.  Someone  mentioned  what  a  won- 
derful thing  it  was  to  read  and  write,  so  that  they 
could  send  messages  to  their  children  and  friends  when 
far  away.  Another  had  a  good  word  for  Dr.  Law- 
rence— ^how  he  had  healed  their  wounds  and  given 
them  medicine  when  they  were  sick.  All  this  time  the 
chiefs  were  giving  close  attention.  They  began  to  lean 
forward  and  to  look  to  the  right  and  left  to  see  what 
effect  it  was  having  upon  their  followers. 

Then  came  forward  Ndhlo-hla-hla,  the  evangelist, 
who  kept  smiting  his  breast  and  saying,  "My  heart 
cries  out  for  you,  O  chiefs,  because  you  are  yet  in 
your  sins.  You  have  told  a  lie  to  Mfundisi,  Where 
would  you  go  if  you  were  to  die  this  day?  Where 
would  you  go  ?"  And  he  told  them  where  they  would 
go  in  most  explicit  fashion.  Then  he  softened  in  his 
tone  and  pleaded  very  tenderly  with  them.  He  drew 
his  Bible  from  his  pocket,  and  holding  it  high  in  the 
air,  he  said,  "What  can  you  do  against  the  little  book  ? 
You  have  had  all  the  power  in  your  hands,  the  fighters 
and  the  spears,  and  you  have  tried  to  stop  this  work. 
You  would  not  let  your  women  go  to  church,   or 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  171 

your  children  go  to  school.  Have  you  succeeded? 
Look  how  many  we  are  to-day.  The  little  book  did 
it.  We  had  only  the  little  book.  Don't  you  know  all 
this  region  is  to  be  Christian?  O  chiefs,  you  must  be- 
lieve in  the  little  book." 

The  sun  w^as  getting  low,  and  feeling  that  we  had 
won  the  day,  I  brought  the  service  to  an  end  by  ask- 
ing the  Christians,  both  missionaries  and  natives,  to 
join  hands  in  a  circle  about  the  tree.  A  great  circle 
was  formed,  as  large  as  the  space  allowed,  and  so 
many  wished  to  be  included  that  a  second  inner  circle 
was  necessary.  As  Lincoln  marched  them  around  the 
trunk  singing  a  native  hymn,  I  invited  the  heathen, 
any  who  wished  to  stand  with  the  Christians,  to  join 
hands  with  us.  As  they  came  over,  young  men  and 
young  women,  mothers  with  babies  on  their  backs,  we 
opened  the  circle  and  took  them  in,  making  a  strange 
contrast  with  the  cleanly,  well-dressed  people  of  the 
church.  Then  I  turned  to  see  what  effect  this  was 
having  upon  the  chiefs,  and  lo,  they  were  all  gone. 
One  by  one  they  had  slunk  off  into  the  forest. 

Thus  closed  this  strange  Easter  service  in  the  heart 
of  pagan  Africa.  Could  one  desire  a  surer  sign  of  the 
living  Christ  than  what  we  had  witnessed  that  day? 
In  Europe  and  America  the  churches  were  having  their 
flowers  and  their  anthems.  Their  great  organs  were 
pealing  forth  praise  to  God  and  the  ministers  were 
preaching  eloquent  sermons  on  the  resurrection;  but 
to  us  under  that  Chikore  tree,  it  seemed  that  Christ 
had  been  in  our  very  midst,  revealing  his  glory  in  the 


172  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

transformed  lives  of  this  pagan  tribe  and  demonstrat- 
ing his  power  to  save  unto  the  uttermost. 

Significance  of  the  Chikore  Incident 

Five  things  emerge  from  this  Chikore  incident 
which  have  a  vital  bearing  upon  missionary  work. 
First  J  we  note  the  practical  benefits  which  came  to  the 
people  as  a  result  of  the  residence  of  the  missionaries 
in  their  midst.  The  speakers  mentioned  protection 
from  wild  beasts,  abundance  of  food,  medical  relief, 
and  education.  The  list  was  by  no  means  complete. 
Other  advantages  were  suggested  by  the  appearance 
of  the  Christian  group  in  contrast  with  their  heathen 
neighbors,  and  were  in  the  minds  of  all.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  cleanliness,  industry,  proper  hous- 
ing, and  the  practise  of  monogamy. 

Second,  we  must  consider  the  rapidity  of  the  change. 
All  this  was  accomplished  within  sixteen  years.  In 
that  brief  period  a  whole  section  of  the  population 
had  been  lifted  from  barbarism,  practically  from  the 
bottom  level  of  society,  up  through  all  the  interven- 
ing stages  of  evolution,  and  placed  on  a  fairly  high 
plane  of  civilization.  That  which  it  had  taken  us 
these  many  centuries  of  struggle  to  achieve,  these 
Africans,  by  our  help,  achieved  in  half  a  generation. 
This  is  a  sociological  fact  of  the  first  importance.  It 
is  not  necessary  for  barbarous  people  to  struggle  up- 
ward as  the  white  races  have  done.  They  can  reach 
civilization  at  a  bound. 

Third,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  change  came  to  these 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  173 

natives  as  a  community.  The  children  were  brought 
under  the  control  of  the  missionaries,  the  parents  also 
accepted  the  leadership  of  the  missionaries  in  practical 
affairs,  and  all  advanced  together  as  a  distinct  group 
in  the  midst  of  the  surrounding  pagan  population. 
Thus  we  find  support  for  the  sociological  axiom  that 
society  must  be  saved  as  a  whole,  and  that  environment 
plays  a  prominent  part  in  determining  the  direction  of 
social  progress. 

Fourth,  this  community  was  formed  by  the  coming 
over  from  heathenism  of  individuals  like  Bhande, 
Zonzo,  Tom  Mapangisana,  and  Ndhlo-hla-hla.  The 
missionaries,  being  in  control  of  the  situation,  were 
able  at  once  to  place  these  men  in  a  helpful  environ- 
ment; but  let  it  be  noted  that  they  came  one  by  one, 
each  of  his  own  accord,  and  that  certain  ones  emerged 
as  leaders  of  the  rest.  The  individualist  and  the 
sociologist  meet  on  common  ground  in  the  Chikore 
incident. 

Fifth,  spiritual  and  moral  regeneration  was  at  the 
bottom  of  the  whole  process.  This  was  not  civiliza- 
tion by  culture  or  education,  but  civilization  by  con- 
version. It  resulted  primarily  from  the  working  of 
repentance  and  faith  in  the  hearts  of  individual  pagans 
and  savages  through  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Apart  from  the  message  of  the  "Little  Book,"  we  are 
unable  to  explain  the  rapidity  and  the  thoroughness 
of  the  change.  Unless  a  divine  power  had  been  lodged 
in  the  lives  of  these  Africans,  freeing  them  from  sin 
and  propelling  them  toward  the  life  of  righteousness 


174  THE    LURE    OF    AFRICA 

and  love,  such  results  never  would  have  been  achieved. 
Environment  played  an  important  part,  but  it  was  en- 
vironment shaped  by  spiritual  men.  If  the  history  of 
missions  in  Africa  teaches  anything,  it  is  the  value 
of  soul  transformation  as  a  basis  for  social  improve- 
ment. When  the  heart  life  of  a  pagan  is  set  right, 
turning  him  toward  God  and  away  from  sin,  then  his 
whole  being  awakes ;  a  hundred  aspirations  appear  and 
clamor  for  satisfaction.  Thus  we  find  conversion 
leading  to  cleanliness,  orderliness,  industry,  intelli- 
gence, and  material  prosperity,  as  well  as  to  character 
and  peace  of  mind.  When  I  visited  a  Christian  na- 
tive's house  and  found  it  approached  by  a  good  road 
and  set  in  a  well  ordered  garden,  and  when  within 
I  found  the  room  which  was  assigned  to  me  well 
matted,  the  walls  neatly  papered,  the  bed  covered  with 
a  snow-white  counterpane,  the  table  furnished  with 
pen,  ink,  paper,  and  a  lamp,  when  I  found  on  the 
washstand  a  pitcher,  a  bowl,  and  a  cake  of  Pears'  soap, 
then  I  knew  that  a  spiritual  force  had  taken  hold  of 
African  society  which  nothing  could  withstand. 

Africa  is  the  laboratory  of  Christianity  because  it 
is  the  field  for  such  experiments  as  Chikore,  Uganda, 
and  Cameroun.  The  Africans  are  the  raw  material 
of  the  human  race ;  here  is  found  some  of  earth's  most 
refractory  ore.  If,  now,  we  can  take  this  crude  ma- 
terial and  shape  it  into  goodly  forms  of  Christian 
character  and  social  attainment,  then  there  is  nothing 
in  the  earth  too  hard  for  us  to  do,  then  the  gospel  is 
indeed  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.     The  time 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  175 

is  coming  when  the  world  will  recognize  the  unique 
value  of  this  African  work  as  a  demonstration  of  the 
adequacy  of  the  Christian  message  to  meet  the  most 
difficult  of  human  problems.  Perhaps  Africa  will  say 
the  last  word  when  it  comes  to  Christian  evidences. 

The   Final    Test 

But  someone  will  ask,  do  these  converts  from  pagan- 
ism never  relapse  ?  Are  they  capable  of  understanding 
the  loftier  truths  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  do  they 
take  on  the  finer  graces  of  Christian  character?  The 
first  question  can  be  answered  briefly;  the  second  is 
more  fundamental.  Yes,  the  converts  do  relapse  in 
an  unfortunate  number  of  instances,  and  this  fact 
causes  the  missionaries  great  trouble  and  sorrow. 
Every  precaution  is  taken  to  refuse  church-member- 
ship to  any  who  come  from  unworthy  motives  or  with- 
out sufficient  instruction,  as  also  to  protect  the  new 
members  from  undue  temptation.  Catechumen  classes 
are  the  rule  in  every  mission,  and  church  discipline 
is  maintained  with  a  rigidity  unknown  in  the  homer 
land.  Yet  after  all  is  said  and  done,  these  converts 
are  hardly  more  than  babes  in  Christ.  Behind  them 
are  untold  ages  of  animalism.  Before  them  are  the 
exacting  ideals  of  the  New  Testament.  Who  can 
wonder  that  some  fall  away?  Is  it  not  the  wonder 
that  so  many  stand  true?  Are  all  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity in  Europe  and  America  faithful  to  their  vows  ? 
Do  all  live  consistent  Christian  lives?  I  have  before 
me  the  statistics  of  the  West  African  Mission  of  the 


176  THE   LURE    OF   AFRICA 

Presbyterian  Board,  where  church  disciphne  Is  en- 
forced with  great  strictness,  and  I  find  that  out  of  a 
total  membership  of  7,407  there  were  suspended  in 
191 5,  464  persons.  This  may  be  regarded  as  fairly 
typical,  although  the  mass  movement  in  this  mission 
may  increase  somewhat  the  risks  which  must  be  taken 
if  new  converts  are  given  the  encouragement  of 
baptism. 

As  to  the  ability  of  native  Christians  to  appreciate 
the  lofty  truths  of  our  religion  and  to  take  on  its 
graces  of  character,  the  evidence  is  abundant  and  con- 
clusive. The  African  is  of  a  deeply  religious  nature. 
When  once  he  is  freed  from  fear,  and  discovers 
that,  humble  as  he  is,  he  can  talk  and  walk  with  the 
infinite  God,  he  not  infrequently  comes  into  a  spiritual 
experience  of  a  high  order.  The  very  contrast  between 
his  present  position  as  a  child  of  God  and  the  heathen 
darkness  out  of  which  he  came  helps  him  to  aspire. 
The  experience  is  so  new,  so  wonderful,  so  limitless 
in  soul  possibilities  that  he  often  progresses  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  Entering  the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  a 
little  child,  in  the  simplicity  and  openness  of  his  mind, 
he  sometimes  sees  things  which  more  cultured  Chris- 
tians overlook. 

Such  an  one  was  Bishop  Crowther,  who  was  an  ex- 
ample as  well  as  a  leader  of  his  great  flock  in  Nigeria. 
Such  is  King  Khama,  who  in  his  eightieth  year  still 
lives  an  exemplary  life  among  the  Bamangwato.  Such 
was  Kanjundu,  the  Angola  chief,  whose  Christian 
spirit  in  the  matter  of  forgiveness  toward  his  enemies 


A  HEATHEN   NATIVE'S  HOME 


A  CHRISTIAN   NATIVE'S  HOME 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  177 

and  persecutors  has  not  been  surpassed  by  any  mis- 
sionary. Dr.  Hough,  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  United  Brethren,  tells  of  an 
African  pastor  in  Sierre  Leone,  the  Rev.  R.  Cookston 
Taylor,  who  not  only  displayed  rare  executive  effi- 
ciency in  the  management  of  the  native  church,  but 
who  set  an  inspiring  example  of  practical  devotion, 
often  giving  not  less  than  one  half  of  his  meager  in- 
come to  the  Lord.  There  is  a  tablet  to  his  memory 
in  the  church  which  he  served  which  speaks  of  "His 
indomitable  courage,  sublime  faith,  unfaltering  indus- 
try, and  self-sacrificing  devotion." 

Nor  are  the  women  outdone  by  the  men  in  the  at- 
tainment of  Christian  character.  Dr.  Halsey,  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board,  tells  of  "Old  Nana,'*  who  was  the 
second  person  in  Bululand  to  accept  Christ,  and  who 
was  preeminently  first  in  faithful  service  and  Christ- 
likeness.  It  would  be  hard,  if  not  impossible,  to  name 
a  Christian  virtue  which  this  aged  saint  did  not  pos- 
sess. 

Instances  like  the  above  could  be  multiplied  in- 
definitely and  they  need  not  be  confined  to  the  educated 
and  privileged  Christian  natives.  Many  of  the  hum- 
blest converts  have  shown  a  remarkable  insight  into 
Christian  truth. 

To  those  who  have  traveled  in  Africa  and  have 
had  heart-to-heart  talks  with  Christians  like  these, 
there  is  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  the  African's  ca- 
pacity to  appreciate  the  highest  truths  and  to  attain  to 
the  highest  forms  of  religious  life.  For  those  who  have 


178  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

not  had  this  privilege,  the  fate  of  the  Uganda  martyrs 
and  the  story  of  Livingstone's  servants,  Susi  and 
Chuma,  who  would  not  surrender  his  body  until  they 
had  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  proper  British 
authorities,  may  well  be  sufficient. 

Africa's  Special  Problems 

Africa  is  differentiated  from  the  other  leading  mis- 
sion fields  by  the  fact  that  her  missionaries  must  be 
builders  of  civilization.  In  lands  like  Persia,  India, 
China,  Japan,  the  missionaries  deal  with  a  culture  and 
a  literature  older  than  our  own.  Their  problem  is  to 
vitalize  and  improve.  In  Africa  their  task  is  to  build 
society  from  the  ground  up.  They  must  reduce  the 
language  to  written  forms,  they  must  teach  the  arts 
and  trades,  they  must  establish  social  customs  and  in- 
stitutions, they  must  formulate  a  moral  code,  and  they 
must  do  all  this  in  ways  adapted  to  the  African  nature. 
Their  problem  is  the  creation  of  a  Christian  African 
civilization;  it  is  the  "naturalization  of  Christianity" 
in  a  race  separated  from  our  own  by  the  widest  pos- 
sible racial  and  temperamental  gulf. 

Africa  is  par  excellence  the  field  for  industrial  edu- 
cation, and  in  every  large  mission  the  teaching  of 
agriculture  and  the  trades  occupies  a  basal  position 
in  the  educational  scheme.  As  Du  Plessis  puts  it,  "The 
Bible  and  the  plow  must  go  together  in  South  Africa." 
Possibly  more  has  been  accomplished  in  Africa  by 
way  of  relating  the  system  of  education  to  the  prac- 
tical needs  of  the  people  than  in  other  mission  lands, 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  179 

and  certainly  far  more  than  has  been  done  at  home. 
Industrial  education  in  the  United  States  is  in  a  chaotic 
condition,  both  as  to  theory  and  practise.  Possibly 
some  of  our  educational  experts  might  learn  a  thing 
or  two  from  schools  like  Lovedale  in  Cape  Colony, 
Tiger  Kloof  in  Bechuanaland,  and  Kondowe  in 
Nyasaland.  Nevertheless,  industrial  education  in 
Africa  is  bristling  with  problems.  It  is  easy  to  give  the 
African  a  smattering  of  carpentry  or  blacksmith- 
ing,  so  that  he  can  support  himself  in  a  native  village 
and  be  of  some  advantage  to  his  neighbors;  it  is  a 
supremely  difficult  task  to  change  the  economic  status 
of  African  society,  so  that  it  may  support  churches 
and  schools,  and,  in  general,  be  placed  upon  a  self- 
sustaining  basis.  There  are  missions  where  agriculture 
has  been  taught  and  exemplified  for  thirty  years  and 
still  the  villagers  use  the  native  hoe  and  are  content 
with  five  or  six  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre. 

When  we  come  to  general  education  the  problems 
are  such  as  to  challenge  the  brightest  experts.  What 
should  an  African  girl  be  studying  when  she  is  six- 
teen? What  when  she  is  twenty?  Should  these  chil- 
dren of  the  forest  be  put  through  the  course  prescribed 
for  boys  and  girls  in  England  and  America,  or  should 
a  curriculum  be  invented,  adapted  to  their  constitution 
and  needs?  What  should  an  African  curriculum  con- 
tain? How  much  of  the  course  should  be  taught  in 
the  vernacular  and  how  much  in  the  language  of  the 
governing  power  ?  How  may  we  preserve  what  is  good 
in  the  indigenous  customs  and  life,  while  engrafting 


i8o  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

the  culture  of  the  West?  What  is  an  ideal  normal 
course  for  teachers?  How  shall  we  train  pastors? 
How  shall  we  inculcate  Christian  morality  while  meet- 
ing governmental  standards  in  school  work?  These 
are  some  of  the  questions  over  which  our  educators  in 
Africa  are  struggling  to-day. 

Then  comes  medicine.  The  medical  missionary  in 
Africa  has  been  called  the  advertising  agent  for  the 
gospel,  because  so  often  it  is  for  him  to  overcome 
prejudice,  break  down  superstition,  and,  in  general, 
prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord.  But  he  is  far  more 
than  that.  There  are  no  more  fundamental  problems 
than  those  which  confront  the  medical  men  in  Africa. 
With  pests  sweeping  off  the  cattle  in  South  Africa, 
with  sleeping  sickness  depopulating  large  areas  in  the 
lake  country  and  along  the  Congo,  with  the  diseases 
of  civilization  spreading  among  the  tribes,  and  with 
malaria  and  black-water  fever  wrecking  many  a  mis- 
sionary career,  the  physician  who  invests  his  life  in  this 
continent  will  not  lack  for  a  challenging  task.  Of  all 
workers  for  Africa,  physicians  are  the  hardest  to  ob- 
tain. This  probably  arises  from  misapprehension 
as  to  the  scientific  quality  of  the  work.  One  board 
is  in  the  field  with  appeals  for  four  physicians,  and  so 
highly  do  they  rate  the  quality  of  the  service  that  they 
offer  to  accepted  applicants  a  special  course  in  tropical 
medicine  at  Harvard. 

In  the  sphere  of  evangelism  and  the  development 
of  the  African  church,  the  great  problem  is  to  secure 
moral  stability  and  self-reliance.     Owing  to  the  fact 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  i8i 

that  so  many  regions  are  not  suitable  for  white  resi- 
dence, Africa,  more  than  any  other  mission  field,  must 
be  Christianized  by  the  native  church.  A  strong  in- 
digenous church,  self-supporting  and  self -propagating, 
is  a  prime  requisite.  Upon  this  problem  the  ordained 
men  are  perpetually  at  work.  Mohammedanism 
propagates  itself,  in  the  main,  through  the  accretion 
of  native  tribes.  Christianity  must  provide  a  higher 
motive  and  a  mightier  propulsion  of  native  forces. 
Another  problem  is  the  coordination  of  evangelism 
and  of  education  and  social  service.  The  missionaries 
in  Africa  are  determined  that  these  agencies  for  human 
uplift  shall  not  pull  apart  as  they  have  done  to  such 
an  unfortunate  extent  in  America ;  but  that  all  depart- 
ments shall  aim  at  spiritual  regeneration  as  the  supreme 
need.  To  a  remarkable  degree  the  missionaries  have 
succeeded  in  this  aim. 

The  Race  Problem 

At  every  point  in  his  work  the  missionary  is  con- 
fronted by  the  race  problem,  which  in  Africa  takes  on 
an  exceedingly  acute  form.  Probably  in  no  part  of 
the  world  do  the  passions  and  prejudices  which  sepa- 
rate race  from  race  reach  a  greater  intensity  than  here. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  South  Africa,  where  the 
whites  are  bound  to  possess  the  land  and  to  rule  in 
their  own  way  and  for  their  own  ends,  although  the 
blacks  outnumber  them  four  to  one.  We  consider  that 
there  is  something  of  a  race  problem  in  our  own  United 
States,   but   this   is   a  mild   affair   compared  to  the 


i82  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

strained  relations  between  whites  and  blacks  in  certain 
sections  of  the  Union  of  South  Africa.  Nor  is  it  con- 
fined wholly  to  these  two  races.  In  recent  years 
Hindus  and  Chinese  in  considerable  numbers  have  been 
brought  to  South  Africa  for  work  on  the  plantations 
and  in  the  mines,  and  these  people  have  met  with  scant 
courtesy  on  the  part  of  their  white  neighbors.  A 
prominent  church  in  a  certain  city  of  South  Africa 
was  recently  holding  a  revival  service  when  two 
Hindus  wandered  in  and  innocently  took  their  seats 
among  the  inquirers.  Consternation  fell  upon  preacher 
and  people  alike  and  the  proceedings  were  stopped 
while  the  intruders  were  summarily  ejected.  Those 
precious  white  people  were  unwilling  even  to  be 
"saved"  in  the  presence  of  "the  heathen."  Apparently 
this  was  no  place  "to  get  religion"  for  those  who 
needed  it  most,  or  did  they  need  it  most? 

The  people  of  South  Africa  have  a  good  case,  on 
governmental  and  economic  grounds,  against  import- 
ing Orientals  in  large  numbers.  As  with  us  in  the 
United  States,  they  have  enough  of  a  race  problem 
without  this  new  complication.  But  the  intensity  of 
feeling  revealed  by  this  incident,  and  by  others  which 
might  be  cited,  indicates  the  special  and  peculiarly 
difficult  form  which  the  problem  takes  in  the  leading 
African  colonies.  In  Portuguese  territories  the  more 
friendly,  or  shall  we  say  easy-going  ideas  of  the  Latin 
races  prevail,  and  the  African  is  not  debarred  from 
lucrative  and  responsible  positions.  Portuguese  who 
marry  native  women,  and  there  are  many  such,  regard 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  183 

their  children  as  essentially  white,  and  send  them  to 
the  home  country  for  education.  In  the  other  Euro- 
pean colonies  the  lines  of  race  are  drawn  with  a 
rigidity  unknown  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  South 
Africa  solicits  the  blacks  with  great  earnestness  for 
work  in  the  mines,  on  the  farms,  on  the  docks,  and 
in  the  homes  as  domestic  servants;  but  renders  it 
exceedingly  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  them  to 
succeed  in  the  trades  and  the  higher  callings.  The 
trade  unions  are  well  organized  and  they  watch  with 
jealous  eye  every  movement  which  tends  to  bring 
the  Africans  into  competition  with  their  own  members. 
An  enterprising  Zulu,  of  my  acquaintance,  who  be- 
came a  skilled  cobbler,  and  set  up  a  shop  in  Durban, 
was  boycotted  by  the  entire  white  population.  As  his 
fellow  Zulus  are  not  addicted  to  the  use  of  shoes,  his 
enterprise  was  brought  to  an  untimely  end.  Had  he 
been  satisfied  with  being  employed  by  a  white  man, 
even  though  that  white  man  had  never  handled  a  piece 
of  leather,  he  could  have  plied  his  trade  without 
hindrance;  but  on  no  account  must  he  be  allowed  to 
get  on  for  himself.  From  this  unjust  and  cruel  posi- 
tion it  is  but  a  step  to  where  the  African  is  shut  out 
from  skilled  labor  of  every  kind  in  behalf  of  the  white 
population.  There  are  those  in  South  Africa  who 
realize  the  ridiculous  position  in  which  they  are  placed 
in  this  matter.  They  say,  "Here  we  are  at  one  moment 
calling  the  natives  good-for-nothing  heathen,  little 
better  than  the  beasts,  and  in  the  next  moment  raising 
barriers  against  them  for  fear  they  will  deprive  the 


i84  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

white  man  of  his  job."  Behold  an  illustration  of  the 
truth  that  selfishness  knows  no  reason. 

In  addition  to  the  fear  of  competition  on  the  part 
of  native  laborers  there  is  the  dread  of  native  up- 
risings which  is  never  entirely  absent  from  the  white 
man's  mind.  Bloody  uprisings  have  characterized  the 
early  days  of  the  European  rule  in  every  colony  on  the 
continent,  and  the  possibility  of  their  recurrence  is  by 
no  means  eliminated  to-day.  It  is  at  this  point  that 
the  missions  can  be  of  special  service,  since  they  uni- 
formly inculcate  loyalty  to  the  existing  government. 
The  British  authorities  have  come  to  place  such  a  high 
estimate  upon  this  service  that  they  make  liberal  grants 
for  mission  schools  and  not  infrequently  entrust  the 
entire  structure  of  native  education  to  missionary 
leadership.  A  prominent  British  official  is  on  record 
as  saying,  "One  missionary  is  worth  more  than  a  bat- 
taHon  of  soldiers." 

The  race  problem  is  a  complicated  and  tortuous  sub- 
ject. It  varies  greatly  in  different  parts  of  the  con- 
tinent, but  in  almost  every  section  it  embarrasses  the 
work  of  the  missionary.  The  prejudice  against  skilled 
native  laborers  creates  a  special  problem  for  our 
industrial  schools.  If,  the  more  we  educate  the 
Africans  in  the  trades,  the  less  the  white  people  care 
to  have  them  around,  is  such  education  desirable  ?  The 
answer  depends  upon  whether  African  missions  are 
to  be  conducted  primarily  for  the  whites  or  for  the 
blacks.  If  the  African  needs  our  arts  on  his  own 
account  and  has  an  inherent  right  to  them,  there  is 


A  MISSIONARY  MAKING  BRICKS,  HEALING  THE  SICK.  AND  PREACH- 
ING THE  GOSPEL,  ALL  ON  THE  SAME  DAY 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  185 

nothing  for  us  to  do  but  to  go  on  and  give  him  every 
possible  chance,  in  the  expectation  that  in  the  process 
of  time  Christian  forbearance  and  love  on  the  part  of 
both  races  will  bring  about  such  adjustments  as  are 
desirable. 

Who  Is  Sufficient  for  These  Things? 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  clear  that  a  heavy 
burden  of  responsibility  in  every  department  of  work 
rests  upon  the  African  missionary.  It  is  a  most  exact- 
ing field,  calling  for  rich  endowments  of  personality 
and  character  and  for  the  best  possible  training.  As 
President  Mackenzie  has  remarked,  "It  takes  the 
highest  to  raise  the  lowest."  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the 
opposite  idea  has  prevailed  throughout  the  churches, 
and,  to  an  unfortunate  extent,  even  in  mission  boards. 
There  has  been  too  much  of  the  notion  that  anyone 
will  do  for  Africa.  Not  so  has  it  been  with  the  great 
European  societies,  which  have  sent  to  this  field  such 
leaders  as  Moffat,  Livingstone,  Mackay,  Laws,  Gren- 
fell,  and  Coillard.  The  annals  of  modern  missions 
contain  no  greater  names  than  these.  If  America  is 
to  do  her  share  in  meeting  the  problems  of  this  con- 
tinent, she  must  send  out  men  and  women  upon  whom 
can  hinge  social  and  spiritual  movements  of  large 
significance. 

Africa  peculiarly  demands  what  we  call  "all-around" 
men  and  women.  Each  missionary  must  have  his 
specialty,  he  must  be  an  expert  in  his  chosen  field,  but, 
over  and  above  that,  he  should  incarnate  the  spirit 


i86  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

and  form  of  Christianity  as  a  whole.  In  the  affairs 
of  his  home,  in  his  business  activities,  in  his  govern- 
mental relations,  as  well  as  in  the  work  of  his  church, 
his  school,  or  his  hospital,  he  should  personify  what  is 
best  in  the  Christian  religion.  Such  an  one  was  John 
Mackenzie  of  South  Africa,  who  has  already  been 
mentioned,  and  who  to  the  ordinary  missionary 
activities  added  the  functions  of  a  government  com- 
missionership.  His  biographer  (President  Mackenzie, 
his  son)  pertinently  remarks : 

"It  is  when  one  reads  the  life-story  of  these  mis- 
sionaries in  heathen  and  primitive  lands  that  one 
realizes  the  breadth  and  the  strength  of  grasp  which 
the  Christian  religion  lays  upon  human  society.  The 
missionary  presents  in  his  personality  and  in  his  actual 
work  that  synthesis  which  some  economic  students  of 
our  day  discuss  so  much,  and  about  which  a  few  of 
them  have  so  many  dreams.  Here  is  a  man  who  at 
once  is  a  builder  of  houses,  showing  people  a  new 
ideal  of  permanence  and  beauty  in  the  structures 
which  he  rears ;  he  is  at  the  same  time  the  agriculturist, 
giving  them  new  ideas  and  desires  in  the  development 
of  lands  which  have  been  for  ages  treated  as  waste 
lands;  he  is  the  teacher,  laboring  to  awaken  the  intel- 
lect of  picked  men  and  lead  them  at  least  into  the 
vestibule  of  the  intellectual  life;  he  is  also  at  the  same 
time,  as  we  shall  see,  the  ruler  who,  for  a  long  time, 
actually  represents  the  British  government  among 
them,  and  to  whom  natives  of  all  classes  come  from 
many  towns  in  all  directions  for  help,  and  to  whom 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  187 

government  officials  look  for  information  and  for  ad- 
vice; he  is  also  the  preacher,  proclaiming  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  believing  in  his 
heart  of  hearts  that  that  is  the  root  and  crown  of  all 
human  experience,  and  that  all  his  other  work  re- 
ceives its  true  interpretation  in  the  light  of  this  funda- 
mental relationship;  and  we  see  finally  that  he  is  the 
spiritual  shepherd  of  a  very  large  flock,  striving  to 
know  each  sheep  by  name  and  disposition,  giving  every 
week  many  hours  of  his  congested  days  to  that  which 
he  believes  to  be  his  supreme  task,  namely,  dealing  with 
the  characters  of  men  and  women  in  the  light  of  the 
law  of  God  and  the  cross  of  Christ."^ 

Two  lives  have  recently  been  given  to  Africa  which 
illustrate  in  strangely  different  ways  the  qualities  which 
win.  They  are  Dr.  Albert  Schweitzer,  the  German 
scholar  and  musician,  and  Mary  Slessor,  the  Scottish 
factory  girl.  Dr.  Schweitzer  stands  in  the  front  rank 
of  thinkers  and  writers  upon  theological  and  critical 
subjects.  His  book,  The  Quest  of  the  Historical  Jesus, 
has  been  read  far  and  wide  and  is  regarded  by  some 
as  an  epoch-making  work.  Almost  equally  has  he 
been  known  as  a  physician,  and  as  an  organist  and 
interpreter  of  Bach.  This  man  is  at  work  to-day  at 
Lambarene,  in  the  French  Congo,  as  a  medical  mis- 
sionary. In  odd  moments  he  sits  at  his  cabinet  organ 
and  plays  the  fugues  of  Bach,  while  the  natives  stand 
around   in  wondering  silence.      Dr.   Schweitzer  sup- 

^  W.  Douglas  Mackenzie,  John  Mackenzie,  South  African  Mission- 
ary and  Statesman,  pp.  198-9. 


i88  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

ports  himself  from  a  fund  he  accumulated  by  giving 
musical  recitals  in  the  Fatherland.  The  breadth  of  his 
mind  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  affiliated  his  work 
with  the  mission  of  the  Paris  Society  for  Evangelical 
Missions.  With  such  a  man  dedicating  his  life  to 
missionary  work  on  the  Congo,  let  no  student  in 
America  say  he  is  too  good  for  Africa- 
Mary  Slessor's  life^  should  be  read  by  every  student 
of  missions.  In  the  matter  of  professional  training 
she  stands  at  the  other  end  of  the  line  from  Dr. 
Schweitzer.  The  years  she  would  gladly  have  devoted 
to  securing  a  higher  education  were  spent  at  the  mill, 
where  she  earned  the  support  of  her  drunken  father 
and  her  godly  but  dependent  mother.  Hers  was  the 
power  of  a  great  personality,  wholly  given  to  God. 
When  circumstances  permitted  her  to  go  out  as  a  mis- 
sionary she  was  found  to  possess  the  qualities  needed 
for  pioneer  work  among  the  most  savage  of  all  the 
tribes  of  the  Calabar  hinterland.  When  a  chief  died, 
scores  of  innocent  people  were  buried  alive.  The 
poison  test  was  almost  a  daily  occurrence.  Practically 
singlehanded,  Mary  Slessor  tamed  and  civilized  this 
degraded  tribe.  When  the  church  was  established  in 
their  midst  and  the  work  entered  the  secondary  stage, 
she  asked  for  another  assignment.  Pushing  farther 
into  the  forest,  she  settled  in  a  savage  community  where 
a  similar  transformation  was  effected.  Later  in  life 
she  entered  a  third  field  as  pioneer.  Three  pagan  com- 
munities surrendered  to  this  slip  of  a  woman,  who,  at 
1 W.  P.  Livingstone,  Mary  Slessor  of  Calabar. 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  189 

home,  was  so  timid  she  would  not  cross  a  crowded 
street  alone.  In  Miss  Slessor  we  have  an  illustration 
of  the  missionary  who  succeeds,  not  because  of  special 
training,  but  from  courage,  versatility,  unquenchable 
ardor,  and  a  profound  trust  in  God. 

Grand  Strategy 

In  round  numbers  there  are  in  Africa  80,000,000 
pagans,  40,000,000  Mohammedans,  and  10,000,000 
Christians.  Of  the  Christians,  possibly  3,000,000  are 
Protestants,  the  balance  being  adherents  of  the  Abys- 
sinian, Coptic,  and  Roman  Catholic  Churches.  On  the 
numerical  basis,  the  task  before  Christianity  is  one 
of  vast  dimensions.  When  we  take  into  consideration 
the  character  of  the  opposing  forces,  the  stolidity  of 
paganism,  the  aggressiveness  of  Mohammedanism,  the 
demoralizing  selfishness  of  commercial  enterprises,  the 
task  becomes  stupendous. 

Consider  also  the  matter  from  the  standpoint  of 
unoccupied  fields.  In  North  Africa  we  found  the 
Christian  forces  well  under  way  in  just  one  section. 
In  the  vast  expanse  of  the  Sudan  a  bare  beginning  has 
been  made.  In  the  Congo  basin  the  boards  occupy 
only  narrow  strips  along  the  streams.  In  Portuguese 
West  Africa  we  have  made  a  scratch  upon  the  sur- 
face. In  Portuguese  East  Africa  a  million  natives 
live  without  a  missionary  in  their  midst.  Even  in 
Uganda,  the  best  occupied  field,  nearly  one  half  of  the 
people  have  not  been  reached.  This  is  not  a  situation 
which  the  churches  of  Christ,  in  the  twentieth  century 


I90  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

after  he  gave  the  great  command,  can  view  with  com- 
placency. In  the  mind  of  every  earnest  Christian  it 
constitutes  a  sad  indictment  of  the  churches.  As  a 
recent  missionary  speaker  said,  'There  should  be  no 
unoccupied  fields." 

All  these  considerations  will  be  enhanced  by  the  era 
of  peace  following  the  Great  War  in  Africa  and  in  the 
world.  Whether  there  is  to  be  a  "new  map  of  Africa" 
or  not,  there  is  bound  to  be  a  speeding  up  of  colonial 
enterprises  throughout  the  continent.  Railroad  com- 
panies, commercial  corporations,  and  governments  will 
be  engrossed  in  new  activities.  Every  resource  of  the 
continent  will  be  exploited.  There  must  be  a  corre- 
sponding acceleration  of  the  Christian  movement,  or 
the  churches  will  fail  in  the  presence  of  an  opportunity 
unparalleled  in  their  history. 

The  military  experts  have  what  they  call  ''grand 
strategy."  That  is  what  we  must  have  in  Africa  if 
the  continent  is  to  be  won.  Unrelated  local  enterprises 
are  not  sufficient.  We  must  have  plans  continental  in 
their  scope.  We  must  have  leaders  of  heroic  mold, 
but  also  such  a  coming  together  at  the  home  base  as 
will  place  the  power  and  resources  of  the  whole  Chris- 
tian church  behind  the  man  at  the  front.  As  has  been 
said  of  China,  so  it  should  be  said  of  Africa,  "No  one 
denomination  is  equal  to  this  task,  and  all  the  de- 
nominations are  unequal  to  it,  working  apart." 

What  then  does  "grand  strategy"  demand  ?  Clearly 
it  demands  a  getting  together  of  the  Christian  forces 
throughout  the  world.     Suppose  the  mission  boards  of 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  191 

Europe  and  America  could  establish  a  board  of  strategy 
for  Africa,  and  suppose  their  constituents  would  stand 
loyally  and  unitedly  behind  such  plans  as  might  be 
projected,  what  wonderful  things  could  be  done!  The 
task  could  be  parceled  out  among  these  allies  for 
Christ,  according  to  some  equitable  and  effective  plan. 
The  various  sections  of  North  Africa  could  be  allotted 
to  France,  Great  Britain,  Canada,  and  the  United 
States.  The  line  of  mission  stations  through  the 
Sudan  for  the  winning  of  the  pagan  tribes  and  for 
the  holding  back  of  the  Mohammedan  advance  might 
materialize  through  the  apportioning  of  the  area  to 
such  boards  as  have  little  or  no  work  in  Africa.  In- 
stead of  the  overlapping  of  mission  forces  in  certain 
parts  of  South  Africa  and  an  entire  absence  of  mis- 
sionaries in  certain  parts  of  Portuguese  East  Africa, 
there  would  result  a  wise  disposal  of  forces  in  every 
part  of  the  continent.  Is  this  a  dream,  or  is  it  a  prac- 
tical measure  of  cooperation  forced  upon  us  by  the 
exigencies  of  the  situation,  and  into  which  the  churches 
are  being  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  ? 

The    Great   Partnership 

"Africa  has  suffered  many  wrongs  in  the  past  at 
the  hands  of  the  stronger  nations  of  Christendom,  and 
she  is  suffering  wrongs  at  their  hands  to-day;  but  the 
greatest  wrong,  and  that  from  which  she  is  suffering 
most,  is  being  inflicted  by  the  church  of  Christ,  It 
consists  in  withholding  from  so  many  of  her  children 
the  knowledge  of  Christ."     Let  these  burning  words 


192  THE  LURE  OF  AFRICA 

from  the  Edinburgh  Conference,  that  greatest  gather- 
ing of  missionary  boards  the  world  has  ever  seen,  sink 
into  our  hearts. 

Volunteers,  money,  prayers,  cooperation,  these  are 
the  things  which  Africa  demands  of  the  home  churches. 
There  should  be  at  least  an  immediate  trebling  of  the 
staff  of  missionaries  in  the  field.  Let  student  volun- 
teers take  notice  that  Africa  is  the  final  test  of  the  mis- 
sionary motive.  Climate,  isolation,  the  primitive 
character  of  the  people,  and  race  prejudice  haunt  the 
minds  of  not  a  few  volunteers.  *'Send  me  anywhere 
except  to  Africa,"  more  than  one  candidate  for  mis- 
sionary appointment  has  remarked.  If  that  spirit  is 
to  prevail,  not  only  Africa  will  be  lost  to  the  kingdom, 
but  the  home  churches  as  well.  Christianity  cannot 
flourish  with  one  continent  left  in  darkness. 

Then  there  is  the  test  of  money.  We  shall  never 
win  Africa  or  any  other  part  of  the  non-Christian 
world  on  the  present  scale  of  beneficence.  There  are 
those  who  give  nobly,  but  they  are  pitiably  few.  As 
to  the  rank  and  file  of  church-membership,  the  work 
of  winning  the  world  to  Christ  is  not  regarded  as  a 
serious  obligation.  What  Christ  placed  first  on  his 
program  they  place  last.  Africa  calls  for  the  invest- 
ment of  large  sums  on  the  part  of  the  Lord's  stewards. 
New  regions  must  be  opened  up,  new  tribes  approached, 
new  stations  founded,  new  institutions  built.  Money 
is  needed  in  strategic  amounts,  as  well  as  in  a  multi- 
tude of  small  but  sacrificial  gifts.  Some  day  a  million 
dollars  may  be  donated  at  one  stroke  for  the  saving 


AFRICA  THE  LABORATORY  193 

of  Africa.  Some  day  our  Christian  business  men  may 
display  the  same  enterprise  and  daring  for  the 
evangehzation  of  this  continent  as  the  business  men  of 
Germany,  France,  and  Great  Britain  are  showing  for 
its  commercial  development. 

The  churches  must  pray  earnestly  for  these  things. 
The  task,  humanly  speaking,  is  impossible;  it  is  crush- 
ing to  our  spirits.  But  it  is  presented  to  us  by  Al- 
mighty God,  in  whom  all  resources  are  found.  If  we 
join  in  the  great  partnership  for  the  redemption  of 
Africa,  we  must  have  the  heroic  faith  of  a  Livingstone 
and  a  Hannington.  Livingstone  died  on  his  knees. 
Hannington  marched  to  Uganda  and  his  death,  each 
morning  greeting  the  sunrise  with  the  words  of  the 
"Traveler's  Psalm" :  "I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto 
the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  my  help."  Africa's 
great  missionaries  have  been  preeminently  men  of 
prayer.  When  the  obstacles  in  their  way  appeared  in- 
surmountable, they  took  refuge  in  God.  At  such  a 
time.  Pastor  Harms,  a  Lutheran  missionary  in  South 
Africa,  wrote  in  his  diary,  "I  had  knocked  at  men's 
doors  and  found  them  shut ;  and  yet  the  plan  was  mani- 
festly good  and  for  the  glory  of  God.  What  was  to  be 
done?  'Straight-forward  makes  the  best  runner.'  I 
prayed  fervently  to  the  Lord,  laid  the  matter  in  his 
hand,  and  as  I  rose  up  at  midnight  from  my  knees,  I 
said,  in  a  voice  that  almost  startled  me  in  the  quiet 
room,  ToRWARD  Now,  in  God's  Name  !'  " 


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GENERAL 

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Bryce,  James.     Impressions  of  South  Africa.     1897.     Century  Co., 

New  York.     $3.50. 
Butcher,  E.  L.     Things  Seen  in  Egypt.     19 13.     E.  P.  Button  and 

Co.,  New  York.     $1.00. 
Cromer,   Earl  of.     Modern  Egypt.      1908.     Macmillan   Co.,   New 

York.     $6.00. 
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Fisher  Unwin,  London.     12s.  6d. 
Drummond,  Henry.     Tropical  Africa.     1896.     Charles  Scribner's 

Sons,  New  York.     $1.00. 
Encyclopedia  Britannica.    Article  on  Africa. 
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Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  New  York.    $2.25. 
Gibbons,  Herbert  Adams.     The  New  Map  of  Africa.     19 16.     Cen- 
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Johnston,  Sir  Harry.     A   History  of  the  Colonization  of  Africa  by 

Alien  Races.     1899.    University  Press,  New  York.    $1.50. 
Johnston,  Sir  Harry.     The  River  Congo.     1884.     Sampson  Low  & 

Co.,  London.     21s. 
Johnstone,  P.  de  Lacy.    Muhammad  and  His  Power.    1901.    Charles 

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Keltie,   John   Scott.      The  Partition  of  Africa.  '  1895.     Stanford, 

London.     i6s. 
Kidd,  Dudley.     The  Essential  Kafir.     1904.     Macmillan  Co.,  New 

York.     $6.00. 
Lane-Poole,   Stanley.      The  Story  of  the  Barhary   Corsairs.     1890. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York.    $1.75. 
Lane-Poole,  Stanley.    Cairo:  Sketches  of  its  History,  Monuments,  and 

Social  Life.    1892.    J.  S.  Virtue  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  London.     4s.  6d. 

194 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  195 

Lane-Poole,  Stanley.     Egypt  in  the  Middle  Ages.     1905.     Charles 

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Livingstone,  David.     Livingstone's  Travels  in  Africa.     1857.    John 

Murray,  London. 
Mackenzie,  John.    Austral  Africa.    2  vols.    1887.    S.  Low,  Marston, 

London.     32s. 
Morel,  Edmund  D.    Red  Rubber.     1906.    American  Tract  Society, 

New  York.    60  cents. 
Morel,  Edmund  D.     The  Affairs  of  West  Africa.     1902.     William 

Heineman,  London.     12s. 
Nassau,  Rev.  R.  H.     Fetishism  in   West  Africa.     1904.     Charles 

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New  Schaff-Herzog  Encyclopedia.    Article  on  Donatists. 
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Powell,  Alexander.     The  Last  Frontier.     1914.     Charles  Scribner's 

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Weeks,  J.  H.     Among  Congo  Cannibals.     1913.     J.  B.   Lippincott 

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MISSIONS 

Beach,   Harlan  P.     Geography  and  Atlas  of  Protestant   Missions. 

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London.     5s. 

BIOGRAPHY 

Battersby,  Harford.  C.  E.  Pilkington  of  Uganda.  1899.  Fleming 
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Green  &  Co.,  New  York.    90  cents. 

Harrison,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Mackay  of  Uganda.  1900.  George  H.  Doran 
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Hawker,  G.  The  Life  of  George  Grenfell.  1909.  Fleming  H.  Revell 
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Hubbard,  Ethel  D.  The  Moffats.  19 17.  Missionary  Education 
Movement,  New  York.    Cloth,  60  cents;  paper,  40  cents. 

Johnston,  Sir  Harry.  George  Grenfell  and  the  Congo.  2  vols.  1908. 
D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York.    $7.50. 

Livingstone,  W.  P.  Mary  Slessor  of  Calabar.  19 16.  George  H. 
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McCabe,  Joseph.  St.  Augustine  and  His  Age.  1903.  G.  P.  Put- 
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Mcintosh,  C.  W.     Coillard  of  the  Zambezi.     1907.    American  Tract 

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Mathews,   Basil.     Livingstone  the  Pathfinder.      19 12.     Missionary- 
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cents. 
Page,  J.     The  Black  Bishop.     1909.     Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New 

York.     $2.00. 
Parsons,  E.  C.     A  Life  for  Africa:  Adolphus  Clement  Good.     1898. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  New  York.    $1.25. 
Stanley,  Dorothy,  Editor.     The  Autobiography  of  Henry  M.  Stanley. 

191 1.    Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  Boston.    $5.00. 
Wells,  James.    Stewart  of  Lovedale.     1909.    Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.; 

New  York.     $1 .50. 


53 


;  reli- 


3reign 


33.36 


an,  25 
f  Mo- 


work, 


131; 
Mo- 


I  ^.... 


INDEX 


Abyssinia,  13.  22,  46,  112;  missions  in, 
46 

Abyssinian  Church,  46,  189 

Adams,  Newton,  100,  loi 

Adeney,  Walter  Frederic,  quoted,  45, 
46 

Afarik,  13 

Africa:  area,  16;  deserts,  21;  explora- 
tion, 13-18;  forests,  19,  20;  lakes,  18; 
languages,  25;  mineral  wealth,  23; 
mountains,  22;  partition,  112,  139; 
people,  23-25;  population,  25;  rivers, 
18-19;  village  life,  140,  141;  western 
civilization:  benefits,  1 09-1 17;  evils, 
117-133.  See  also  North,  Central,  and 
South  Africa,  and  Sudan. 

Akba,  35 

Albert,  King  of  Belgium,  150 

Albert  Edward  Nyanza,  17,  18 

Albert  Nyanza,  18 

Alexandria,  32-35 

Algeria,  32,  35,  42,  71;  French  railroad 
projected,  114;  mission  work,  51-53; 
moral  conditions,  43;  the  Scnussi,  67 

"Algerian  Band,"  52 

Amanzimtote,  10 1 

American  Baptist  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  151 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  19,  91,  96,  97,  100, 
130,  165 

Angola,  133,  138,  139,  156;  area  and 
population,  156;  missions  in,  156-158. 
See  also  Portuguese  West  Africa 

Animism,  142 

Amr-ibn-el-Asi,  34 

Arabia,  14,  34,  35,  71;  rise  of  Moham- 
medanism, 39;  success  of  medical 
missions  in,  66 

Arabs,  24,  34,  36,  59-61,  86;  as  Mo- 
hammedan missionaries,  61,  62;  their 
methods,  63 


Assiut,  47,  49;  Assiut  College,  47,  53 
Atlantic  Ocean,  57 
Atlas  range,  22,  114 
Augustine,  32,  33,  37 

B 

Baganda,  the,  5,  145 

Baker,  A.  W.,  130 

Bakete,  the,  154 

Bakuba,  the,  154 

Bantu  people,  24,  86,  116,  140;  reli- 
gion, 142 

Banza,  152 

Baptists,  English,  151,  152 

Baptists,  French,  52 

Baptist  Convention,  Southern  (Foreign 
Mission  Board),  76,  77 

Barotse,  the,  129 

Barotseland,  129 

Basutoland,  98,  99".  results  of  missions, 
98 

Basutos,  98,  128 

Bechuanas,  95,  128 

Bedouins,  2,  39 

Beira,  149 

Belgian  Congo  State,  149 

Benguela,  156 

Bennett,  James  Gordon,  17 

Berbers,  13,  24;  early  conversion,  33,  36 

Bhulosi,  100 

Bibars,  3 

Bible  Societies,  British  and  Am.erican,  25 

Blantyre  Mission,  14&;  inroads  of  Mo- 
hammedanism, 14S 

Blyden,  quoted,  68-70 

Boers,  96,  104;  hostile  to  mission  work, 
94 

Boer  War,  22,  104 

Bonjolongo,  story  of,  153 

Bridgman,  Frederick  B.,  130,  131; 
quoted,  125-127 

British  East  Africa,  s,  61,  139;  Mo- 
hammedan advance  in,  61 


199 


200 


INDEX 


British  West  Africa,  liquor  trafiBc  in, 

123 
Bulu,  the,  160 
Buxton  (explorer),  17 
Bushmen,  24,  95 


Cairo,  2;  population,  3;  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  in,  51;  United  Pres- 
byterian work  in,  47-51 

Cairo  College,  47 

Calabar,  188 

Cameron  (explorer),  26 

Cameroun,  26,  139;  Germany's  educa- 
tional plans,  117;  missions:  mass 
movements,  160;  native  church,  105; 
success,  158-160 

Cameroun.  Mt.,  22 

Canada  Congregational  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society,  156 

Cannibalism,   116,    165;  in  the  Congo, 

152 

Cape  Colony,  94,  99 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  15,  86 

Cape-to-Cairo  railroad,  6,  8,  115,  149 

Cape  Town,  86,  95,  96,  127,  149 

Carthage,  32,  33,  38 

Central  Africa,  137-161;  animal  life, 
138;  characteristics  of  people,  141; 
climate,  137,  138;  missions,  144-161; 
natural  resources,  139;  population, 
137;  religion,  142-144;  village  life, 
140,  141;  women,  141,  142 

Ceuta,  15 

Chad.     See  Lake  Chad 

Chikore,  165-174 

Chisamba,  156 

Chitambo's,  138 

Christianity:  early  church,  32-34; 
downfall,  34-39;  challenge  of  Mo- 
hammedanism, 74;  task  to-day,  189- 
193 

Christians,  number  in  Africa.  189 

Church  Missionary  Society,  51.  77.  78, 
80;  in  Uganda,  145 

Clark,  Joseph,  152 

Cleopatra's  Needles,  33 

Cocoa  industry  and  slavery,  132,  133 

Coillard,  27,  99,  129.  i8s 


Commerce  and  zeal  for  Mohammedan- 
ism, 62,  63 

Congo  atrocities,  120,  128.  150,  152 

Congo  Free  State,  139.  150 

Congo  River,  14,  15,  18-20,  23,  138, 
149,  150;  population  along  basin, 
150 

Copper  deposits.  23,  115,  149 

Coptic  Church.  44.  45,  189 

Copts,  2,  45;  missions  among.  47 

Corey.  Stephen  J.,  152,  153 

Cromer,  Lord,  44.  115 

Crowther,  Samuel  A.,  77,  176 

Crusades,  effect  on  Mohammedanism, 
S3.  60.  81 

Cureau.  Adolphe,  quoted,  117 

Currie,  Walter  T.,  IS7 

Cyprian,  33 

Cyrenaica,  33 

Cyrene,  32 

Cyril,  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  37 

D 

Darfur,  60 

Darwin.  Charles,  quoted,  156 

Davis,  Richard  Harding,  2 

Da  Gama,  Vasco.  15 

Day,  David  A.,  76 

De  Brazza,  Comte,  128 

Diam.ond  mines,  23,  124 

Diaz.  Bartholomew,  15 

Diocletian.  33 

Diseases,  introduced  by  western  civili- 
zation. 119.  120 

Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  76 

Donatists.  38 

Dongola  campaign,  116 

Drakensbergs,  22 

Drummond,  Henry,  quoted,  20 

Du  Plessis,  quoted,  178 

Durban,  11,  127,  149 

Dutch,  16;  settlement  of  South  Africa, 
87 

Dutch  Reformed  Church,  103,  104 

E 
Edinburgh  Conference,  58,  61,  74.  104, 
191 


INDEX 


20I 


Educational  missions,  47-49i  lOl,  l6o 

Edwards,  Mary  K.,  loi 

Egypt,  24,  31,  32,  115;  early  church  in, 
33;  Mohammedan  invasion,  34;  Cop- 
tic Church,  44,  45;  social  conditions, 
43,  44;  missions,  47-49 

Egypt  General  Mission  (English),  51 

Egyptian  Sudan,  57,  63;  benefits  of 
British  rule,  116 

Egyptians,  2,  13,  24 

Elat,  159 

El  Azhar,  49,  SO,  66 

Emin  Pasha,  19,  57 

European  control  of  Africa,  109-127: 
Benefits,  112-117:  industrial  devel- 
opment, 117;  railroads,  113-115;  tel- 
egraph, 114;  suppressing  social  evils, 
116.  Evils,  117-133:  diseases,  119, 120; 
industrial  problems,  124-127;  land 
problem,  120,  121;  liquor  traffic,  122, 
123;  race  problem,  181-184;  taxes, 
118,  119;  wars,  120.  Attitude  of 
governments  to  missions,  132 

European  War,  25,  26,  31.  41.  65,  67, 
8s,  121,  160,  190 


Ferguson,  Bishop,  76 

Fetishism,  142 

Fez,  31 

Finnish  Missionary  Society,  103 

Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society, 
152 

France,  agreement  with  Great  Britain 
regarding  Sudan,  57,  63,  64;  aid  of 
education  in  colonies,  117;  attitude 
toward  Mohammedanism,  64,  65; 
railroad  projects,  114;  rule  in  North 
Africa,  43;  treaty  with  Morocco,  31 

Eraser,  Donald,  147 

Freetown,  75 

French  Congo,  139,  187 

French  Sudan,  57 

Fvila  tribe,  60,  77 


Gazaland,  118,  165 

Germany,  112;  railroad  projects,  114; 
educational  work  in  Africa,  117; 
liquor  traffic,  123 

German  East  Africa,  5,  6,  22,  26,  139; 
Nohammedan  advance  in,  61 

German  Southwest  Africa,  22,  26,  8s, 
102 

Gibbons,  Herbert  Adams,  quoted,  128 

Gibraltar,  15.  36 

Gladstone,  Lord  Herbert,  11,  12;  Lady 
Gladstone,  11 

Gold  production,  124 

Good,  Adolphus  C,  27,  160 

Gordon,  Charles  George,  57,  6s,  145 

Gordon  College,  65 

Grant  (explorer),  26 

Great  Britain,  16,  31,  63;  agreement 
with  France  regarding  Sudan,  57,  63, 
64;  as  a  colonizing  nation,  115,  128; 
attitude  toward  Mohammedanism, 
64,  65;  educational  development  in 
colonies,  117;  liquor  traffic,  123;  rule 
in  Gambia  and  Nyasaland,  141 

Great  War,  the.    See  European  War 

Grenfell,  George,  27,  151,  185 

Griggs,  Zenora,  75 

Griquas,  95 

Grout,  Alden,  and  Mrs.,  27,  93 

Guinea  Coast,  139;  missions  on,  76 

Gulf  of  Guinea,  18 

H 

Halsey,  A.  W.,  177 

Hannington,  6,  27,  193 

Harms,  Pastor,  193 

Hartzell,  Bishop,  quoted,  80 

Hausa,  people,  60;  states,  77 

Henry,  Prince  (of  Portugal),  14,  15 

Hippo,  32 

Holland,  liquor  traffic  from,  123 

Hottentots,  24;  beginning  of  missions, 

94 
Hough,  S,  S.,  75,  177 
Hussein  (sultan  of  Egypt),  31 


Gairdner,  Canon  W.  H.  T.,  5: 
Gambia,  141 


Ikoko,  151,  152 
Inanda,  loi 


202 


INDEX 


India,  14,  15,  32 

Indian  Ocean,  15 

Industrial  missions:  essential  for  Af- 
rica, 178,  179;  in  the  Cameroun,  159; 
Lovedale,  99;  problems,  184 

Innes,  George,  quoted,  50 

International  Review  of  Missions,  The, 
59 

Irrigation,  iis 

Islam,  meaning  of  term,  40.  See  a]so 
Mohammedanism 

Italy,  31,  43 


Johannesburg,  23;  missionary  opportu- 
nity in,  130,  132;  neighboring  popula- 
tion, 124;  social  and  industrial  prob- 
lems, 124-126;  social  service  in,   130, 

131 
Johnson,  Samuel,  quoted,  117 
Johnston,  Sir  Harry,  151;  quoted,  143, 

144 
Judaism,  34 


Kabyles,  42 

Kafirs,  95 

Kafir  War,  97 

Kalahari  Desert,  21,  22 

Kambove,  149 

Kanjundu,  156,  157.  176 

Kassai,  River,  154;  tribes,  154 

Katanga,  23,  115,  131.  I49;  copper  de- 
posits, 23 

Kenia,  Mt.,  22 

Khalifa,  the,  63.  116 

Khama,  King,  95,  176 

Khartum,  64.  65,  79 

Kilimanjaro,  Mt.,  22 

Kimberley  mines,  23,  127;  missionary 
opportunity  in,  130 

Kingsley,  Charles,  37 

Kitchener,  57.  63,  68,  116 

Kondowe,  148,  179 

Koran,  40,  65 

Kordofan,  60 

Kufic  text,  3 

Kumm,  H.  K.  W.,  79 

Kuruman,  95,  96 


Lake  Chad,  18,  114 

Lake  Nyasa,  18 

Lambuth,  Bishop,  155 

Land  question,  120,  121 

Lane-Poole,  Stanley,  2 

Lapsley,  Samuel,  27,  154 

Lausanne,  treaty  of,  31 

Laws,  Robert,  27,  147,  185 

Lawson,  Edward,  16,  17 

Leopold,  King,  153 

Liberia,  76,  77,  112 

Libyan  plateau,  3 

Libyans,  24,  86 

Liquor  traffic,  122,  123,  132 

Lindley,  Daniel,  97.  98 

Livingstone,  David,  6,  8,  16-18,  27,  62, 

95,  96,  113.  114.  129,  132,  138,  147- 

149,  i8s,  193 
Livingstone  Memorial  Mission,  147 
Loanda,  156 

Lobolo,  or  wife  purchase,  90,  102 
London    Missionary    Society,    88,    94; 

beginnings  in  South  Africa,  94 
Lovedale,  96,  99,  179 
Lualaba,  18 

Lucknow  Conference,  58,  80 
Luebo,  154.  I55 
Lull,  Raymond,  81 
Lutheran    Church,    Board    of    Foreign 

Missions  of  General  Synod  of,  76 
Lutuli  (native  teacher) ,  1 1 

M 
i.v5ackay,  Alexander,  27,  145,  147,  185 
Mackenzie,  Jean  Kenyon,  142;  quoted, 

158,  159 
Mackenzie,  John,  27,  88,  95,  186 
Mackenzie,  William  Douglass,  88,  89; 

quoted,  185-187 
Mahdi,  the,  57,  68,  116 
Mamelukes,  3 
Mandingos,  60 
Masai,  the,  5 
Mashonaland,  104 
Mass    movements    in    the    Cameroun, 

158-160 
Matadi,  151 
McClenahan,  R.  S.,  quoted,  53 


INDEX 


203 


Medical  missions:  in  Congo  Mission, 
152;  in  North  Africa,  49;  in  Sierra 
Leone,  75;  problems,  180;  success  in 
other  Mohammedan  fields,  66,  75,  77 

Mediterranean  coast,  13 

Melut,  79 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of,  51,  149,  is6 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South, 
Board  of  Missions  of,  155 

Milton,  quoted,  4 

Missionaries,  type  needed,  185-188; 
number  needed,  192 

Missions:  attitude  toward  governments, 
184;  development  of  African  church, 
180,  181;  education,  47-49,  loi,  160, 
179;  industrial  training,  178,  179; 
literary  work,  25,  51;  medical  work, 
49,  152,  170,  180;  necessary  to  offset 
evils  of  civilization,  129,  130;  prin- 
ciples, 173,  174;  problems,  178,  181- 
184;  results,  169-172,  174;  strategy, 
58,  59,  75.  80,  81,  189-193;  war's 
effect,  25,  26.  See  also  Missions 
under  North,  central,  and  South  Af- 
rica, and  Sudan 

Moflat,  Robert,  and  Mrs.,  27,  95,  96, 
147.  185 

Mohammed,  34,  54;  attitude  toward 
women,  42 

Mohammed  V.,  31 

Mohammedanism:  rise  in  Arabia,  39; 
conception  of  God,  39;  creed,  67; 
defects,  40-44;  fatalism,  40;  Koran, 
40.  Effect  of  Crusades  upon,  53. 
Early  advance:  North  Africa,  34-36, 
39,  40,  45 ;  Europe,  36.  Present  ad- 
vance: Sudan,  59-70,  80;  in  North 
Africa,  39;  in  Congo,  80;  in  South 
Africa,  87.  Effect  on  pagan  tribes, 
71-73.  El  Azhar  University,  49,  50, 
66.  Missionary  methods,  68-70. 
Numerical  strength,  189.  Political 
power  waning,  31,  32.  Religious 
strength,  32,  146.  Relation  to  Chris- 
tianity, 70-73.  Senussi,  67.  Atti- 
tude of  English  and  French  govern- 
ments, 64-66 

Mombasa,  4,  6,  15 


Monophysite  controversy,  44 

Moors,  14,  31;  described  by  Alexander 
Powell,  41,  42 

Morel,  E.  D.,  71 

Morocco,  15,  32,  35,  43,  71;  mission 
work,  51;  death  penalty  for  conver- 
sion, 54;  railroads,  114;  sultan  of,  31 

Mott,  John  R.,  68 

Mtesa,  King,  145,  146 

Muhlenberg  Mission,  Lutheran  General 
Synod,  76 

Murray,  Andrew,  105 

N 

Namaquas,  95 

Natal,  II,  13,  22;  missionary  begin- 
nings, 96;  uprising  in  1906,  89 

Native  church:  North  Africa,  49,  SO; 
among  Zulus,  loi;  in  Cameroun,  159; 
in  Nyasaland,  148;  in  Uganda,  146; 
on  the  Congo,  152;  on  the  Kassai, 
154.  Character  of  converts,  176,  177. 
Church  discipline,  159,  175,  176. 
Possibilities,  105,  106.  Problems, 
180,  181 

Nigeria,  61,  65,  77;  attitude  of  Great 
Britain  to  Mohammedanism,  65; 
liquor  law,  122.  Northern  Nigeria. 
Mohammedan  influence  on  tribes 
71;  Christianity  and  Mohammedan- 
ism, 77;  missions,  79-  Southern  Ni 
geria,  139;  liquor  traffic,  123 

Niger  Mission,  77 

Niger  River,  18 

Nile  Mission  Press,  51 

Nile  River  and  valley,  3,  13,  14,  17,  18, 
21,  34.  36 

Noble,  Frederick  Perry,  143 

North  Africa:  early  Christian  church  in, 
32,  33.  36-39;  European  control,  43; 
invasion  of  Mohammedanism,  33; 
missions,  46-53;  Senussi,  67;  social 
conditions,  39-44;  surviving  oriental 
churches,  44-46;  unoccupied  fields, 
52-54.  189 

North  Africa  Mission,  51 

Nubians,  2 

Nimian,  79 

Nyasa.     See  Lake  Nyasa 


2  04 


INDEX 


Nyasaland,  British  rule,  141;  missions, 
147,  148;  Mohammedan  advance,  61 


OflBcer,  Morris,  76 

Oldham,  J.  H.,  quoted,  73 

Omar  (Caliph),  35,  43 

Omdurman,  battle  of,  63,  68,  1 16 

Omer,  Arthur,  19 

Orr,  Captain,  78,  iis;  quoted,  70,  71  ■,] 

Ouled-Nails,  42 


Pagans,  number  of,  189 

Paris  Society  for  Evangelical  Missions, 

99.  188 
Pigmies,  24 
Pilkington,  27,  146 
Port  Said,  4 

Portugal,   133;  early  conquest  and  ex- 
ploration, 14,  IS 
Portuguese   East  Africa,    S.    103,    139; 

race  question,  182;  unoccupied  fields, 

189,  191 
Portuguese  navigators,  14,  26,  59 
Portuguese  West  Africa.  115,  132,  is6; 

race  question,  182;  unoccupied  fields, 

189.     See  also  Angola 
Powell,  E.  Alexander,  quoted,  41,  42, 

"5 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A., 

Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  158,  159, 

176 
Presbyterian    Church    in    the    U.    S. 

(Southern),  Executive  Committee  of 

Foreign  Missions,  154 
Pretoria,  i;  economic  problems,  127 
Principe  (island),  133 
Ptolemy,  14 
Pyramids,  3 


Race  problem,  181-184 

Railroads,  113-115 

Rainsford,  27 

Rand,  The,  124,  125 

Red  Sea,  5,  13,  57 

Rhenish  Missionary  Society,  I02,  103 

Rhodes,  Cecil,  8,  27,  88 


Rhodesia,  19,  20,  9S,  102,  139 

Richards,  Henry,  152 

Robert  College,  49 

Roman     Catholic     Church,      189;     in 

Uganda,  146 
Roome,  William  J.  W.,  59.  79.  80 
Roosevelt,  Theodore,  27 
Rotifunk,  75 
Ruwenzori,  22 

S 

Sahara  Desert,  14,  19.  21,  57,  59.  "4 

Salad  in,  3 

Sao  Thom^,  133 

Saracens,  40 

Schmidt,  George,  94 

Schweitzer,  Albert,  187,  188 

Senussi,  the,  67 

Shaw,  Barnabas,  95 

Shilluk,  the,  78 

Shuey,  W.  J.,  75 

Sierre  Leone,  75 

Silinda,  Mt.,  19,  165 

Slave  trade:  early  Arab,  60;  effect  of 
European  rule  upon,  116;  relation  to 
Mohammedan  advance,  62;  suppres- 
sion in  Portuguese  West  Africa,  132; 
domestic  slavery,  140,  147 

Sleeping  sickness,  148,  180 

Slessor,  Mary,  27,  187-189 

Social  evils,  102;  effect  of  European 
rule  upon,  116 

Social  service,  130 

Sofala,  59 

Somali,  the,  5 

Songhai,  the,  60 

South  Africa:  British  rule,  116;  char- 
acteristics of  people,  90;  Dutch  set- 
tlement, 87;  industrial  problems,  124- 
127.  Missions:  beginnings,  94-96; 
difficiilties,  96-98;  results,  91-101; 
cooperation  of  British  government, 
loi;  strategy,  191;  task  of  native 
churches,  103-106;  unoccupied  fields, 
102,  103.  Race  problem,  181-183; 
social  conditions,  89,  90 

South  Africa  Compounds  Mission,  130 

South  Africa  General  Mission,  105 

Speke,  17,  26 


INDEX 


205 


Springer,  John  M.,  131.  I49.  ISO 

Stanley,  Henry  M.,  16-19,  22,  26,  112, 
138,  146,  149,  ISO;  rescue  of  Emin 
Pasha,  57;  quoted,  144 

Stanley  Falls,  151 

Stanley  Pool,  151,  154 

Starr,  Prof..  72 

Stewart,  James,  27.  99.  I47 

Sudan,  2,  14,  18,  20,  24,  32,  85.  British 
rule,  63-65.  Mohammedanism:  early 
invasion,  59,  60;  present  advance,  57- 
63,  67.  Missions:  United  Presbyte- 
rian work,  78;  strategy,  191;  unoccu- 
pied fields,  189.  Population,  57. 
Railroads,  114 

Sudan  United  Mission,  79,  80 

Suez  Canal,  s 

Swahili,  the,  5,  61 

Swedish  missions,  46 

Syrian  Protestant  College,  Beirut,  49 


Tanganyika,  Lake,  16-18,  114,  151 

Tanta,  49 

Tarik,  36 

Taylor,  R.  Cookston,  177 

Tertullian,  33 

Tibesti,  21 

Tidrick,  Ralph  W.,  78,  79 

Tiger  Kloof,  179 

Timbuktu,  60,  114 

Togoland,  117 

Trade  unions,  183 

Translation  of  Scriptures,  25 

Transvaal,  13,  97 

Tripoli,  31,  32,  35,  43;  mission  work  in, 

51;  the  Senussi,  67 
Trotter,  Lilias,  52-54 
Timis,  13,  43;  mission  work  in,  51,  52 
Turkey,  31,  32,  49.  65,  66,  71 
Turks,  2,  s;  attitude  of  Senussi  toward, 

67 
Twin  babies,  strangling  of,  116 

U 
Ubangi,  151 

Uganda,  5,  105,  129,  139;  missions  in, 
144-146;  unoccupied  sections,  189 


Ujiji.  17 

Umvoti,  91 

Union  of  South  Africa,  98,  103;  land 
question,  120;  liquor  law,  122;  race 
problem,  182,  183 

United  Brethren,  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  of  the,  75,  177 

United  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  96,  99 

United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 
America,  47-49.  78 

United  States,  43;  attitude  toward  slav- 
ery on  cocoa  plantations,  133;  liquor 
traffic  with  Africa,  123 

Unoccupied  fields,  52,  189.  190 


Victoria  Falls,  6-8,  114 
Victoria  Nyanza,  17.  18 

W 

Wadai,  60 

War-dance,  8-10 

Watson,  Dr.  Charies  R.,  48 

Wembo-Niama,  155 

Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  English, 

95.  96 
White,  Stewart  Edward,  27,  139 
Wilder,  George  A.,  165-167 
Wingate,  Sir  Reginald,  116 
Witchcraft  and  witch-doctor,  142,  143 
Woman's  Board  of   Missions,   Boston, 

lOI 

Women,  Condition  of,  under  Moham- 
medanism, 41-43,  72,  73;  in  central 
Africa,  141,  142;  in  South  Africa,  90, 
92 


Yoruba  people,  77 

Z  « 

Zambezi,  6,  14.  18,  20,  60.  85,  87,  103 
Zulus,    11;  characteristics,    100;  results 
of  missions,  91-93.  100,  loi;  unoccu- 
pied fields,  102;  uprising  of  1906,  89, 
118 
Zwemer,  Samuel  M.,  50,  Si 


Eist  of 
Corressponbentsi 


THE  Missionary  Education  Movement  is  conducted  in  behalf  of  the  Foreign 
and  Home  Mission  Boards  and  Societies  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Orders  for  literature  on  foreign  and  home  missions  should  be  addressed 
to  the  secretaries  representing  those  organizations,  who  are  prepared  to  furnish 
special  helps  to  leaders  of  mission  study  classes  and  to  other  missionary  workers. 

If  the  address  of  the  secretary  of  the  Foreign  or  Home  Mission  Board  or  Society 
of  your  denomination  is  unknown,  orders  may  be  sent  to  the  Missionary  Educa- 
tion Movement.  All  persons  ordering  from  the  Missionary  Education  Movement 
are  requested  to  indicate  their  denominations  when  ordering. 

Advent  Christian — American  Advent  Mission  Society,  Rev.  George  E.  Tyler, 
i6o  Warren  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian — Young  People's  Christian  Union  and  Sab- 
bath School  Work,  Rev.  J.  W.  Carson,  Newberry,  S.  C. 

Baptist  (North) — Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  Cooperating 
Organizations  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention.  23  East  26th  Street, 
New  York  City. 

Baptist  (South) — Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
Rev.  T.  B.  Ray,  1103  Main  Street,  Richmond,  Va.  (Correspondence  con- 
cerning both  foreign  and  home  missions.) 

Baptist  (Colored) — Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  National  Baptist  Conven- 
tion, Rev.  L.  G.  Jordan,  701  South  Nineteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Christian — The  Mission  Board  of  the  Christian  Church;  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 
M.  T.  Morrill;  Home  Missions,  Rev.  Omer  S.  Thomas,  C.  P.  A.  Building, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

Christian  Reformed — Board  of  Heathen  Missions,  Rev.  Henry  Beets,  2050 
Francis  Avenue,  S.  E.,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Church  of  the  Brethren — General  Mission  Board  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Rev.  Galen  B.  Royer,  Elgin,  111. 

Congregational — American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 
D.  Brev/er  Eddy,  14  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
American  Missionary  Association,  Rev.  C.  J.  Ryder,  287  Fourth  Avenue,  New 

York  City. 
The   Congregational   Home   Missionary   Society,   Rev.   William   S.    Beard,   287 
Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Disciples  of   Christ — Foreigri  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  Stephen  J. 
Corey,  Box  884,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
The  American  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Mr.  R.  M.  Hopkins,  Carew  Build- 
ing, Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


Evangelical  Association — Missionary  Society  of  the  Evangelical  Association, 
Rev.  George  Johnson,  1903  Woodland  Avenue,  S.  E.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Evangelical  Lutheran — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  General  Council  of 

the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in  N.  A.,  Rev.  George  Drach,  Trappe,  Pa. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  General  Council  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church  in  North  America,  805-807  Drexel  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  General  Synod  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Rev.  L.  B.  Wolf,  21  West  Saratoga  Street,  Baltimore, 

Md. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church,  Rev.  H.  H.  Weber,  York,  Pa. 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Synod  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 

Church  in  the  South,  Rev.  C.  L.  Brown,  Columbia,  S.  C. 

Friends — American  Friends  Board  of  Foreign   Missions,   Mr.  Ross  A.  Hadley, 
Richmond,  Ind. 
Evangelistic  and  Church  Extension  Board  of  the  Friends  Five  Years'  Meeting, 
Mr,  Harry  R.  Keates,  13 14  Lyon  Street,  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

German  Evangelical — Foreign  Mission  Board,   German  Evangelical  Synod  of 
North  America,  Rev.  E.  Schmidt,  1377  Main  Street,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  German  Evangelical  Synod  of  North  America, 

Evansville,  Ind. 

Methodist  Episcopal — The  Department  of  Missionary  Education.  Represent- 
ing the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  and  Church 
Extension,  and  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools,  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

Methodist  Episcopal  (South) — The  Educational  Department  of  the  Board  of 
Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Rev.  E.  H.  Rawlings, 
810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn.  (Correspondence  concerning  both  foreign 
and  home  missions.) 

Methodist  Protestant — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  Rev.  Fred.  C.  Klein,  316  North  Charles  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  Rev.  Charles  H. 
Beck,  West  Lafayette,  Ohio. 

Moravian — The  Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  Moravian  Church 
in  America,  Northern  Province,  Rev.  F.  W.  Stengel,  Lititz,  Pa. 

Presbyterian  (U.  S.  A.) — The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 

Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  B.  Carter  Millikin,  Educational  Secretary;  Rev. 

George  H.  Trull,  Sunday  School  Secretary,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

''oard  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  J. 

Edward  Tompkins,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Presbyterian  (U.  S.) — Executive  Committee  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  U.  S.,  Mr.  John  I.  Armstrong,  154  Fifth  Avenue,  North, 
Nashville,  Tenn. 
General  Assembly's  Home  Missions  of   the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S. 
Rev.  S.  L.  Morris,  1522  Hurt  Building,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Protestant  Episcopal — The  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  W.  C.  Sturgis,  281  Fourth 
Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Reformed  Church  in  America — Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Rev.  E.  W,  Miller; 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  Rev.  W.  T.  Demarest;  Board  of  Publication  and 
Bible  School  Work,  Rev.  T.  F.  Bayles.  25  East  Twenty-second  Street,  New 
York  City. 

Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States — Mission  Study  Department.  Rep- 
resenting the  Boards  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions,  Mr.  John  H.  Poor- 
man,  304  Reformed  Church  Building,  Fifteenth  and  Race  Streets,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 


United  Brethren  in  Christ — Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  S,  S.  Hough, 
Otterbein  Press  Building,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Home  Missionary  Society,  Miss  Lyda  B.  Wiggim,  United  Brethren  Building, 

Dayton,  Ohio. 
Young  People's  Work,  Rev.  0.  T.  Deever,  Otterbein  Press  Building,  Dayton, 
Ohio. 

United  Evangelical — Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  United 
Evangelical  Church  and  Board  of  Church  Extension,  Rev.  B.  H.  Niebel, 
Penbrook,  Pa. 

United  Norwegian  Lutheran — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  United  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  America,  Rev.  M.  Saterlie,  425-429  South  Fourth  Street, 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  America,  Rev. 
Olaf  Guldseth,  425  South  Fourth  Street,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

United  Presbyterian — Mission  Study  Department  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  Rev.  James  K. 
Quay,  200  North  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America, 
Rev.  R.  A.  Hutchison,  209  Ninth  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Universalist — Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  General  Sunday 
School  Association  of  the  Universalist  Church,  Rev.  A.  Gertrude  Earle, 
Methuen,  Mass. 

CANADIAN  BOARDS 

Baptist — The  Canadian  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Board,  Rev,  J.  G.  Brown,  223 
Church  Street,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

Church  of  England — The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Church  of  England  in 
Canada,  Rev.  Canon  S.  Gould,  131  Confederation  Life  Building,  Toronto, 
Ontario. 

Congregational — Canada  Congregational  Foreign  Missiona.ry  Society,  Miss  Effie 
Jamieson,  23  Woodlawn  Avenue,  East,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

Methodist — Young  People's  Forward  Movement  Department  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Church,  Canada,  Rev.  F.  C.  Stephenson,  299  Queen 
Street,  West,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

Presbyterian — Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 
A.  E.  Armstrong,  439  Confederation  Life  Building,  Toronto,  Ontario. 


Revised  to  May  i,  1917 


Date  Due 

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